The BBC: Using game music in their shows

[Flabio]

Was watching an episode of the BBC's 'how to build' series last night (the one on QinetiQ), and a bit of music that they were using in one scene sounded really familiar. Turns out they were using 'The Illusive Man' from the Mass Effect 2 soundtrack.

Now, I'm a total videogame music nerd, so I tend to spot this sort of thing, and it's not the first time they've done it...

Skip to around 3:17... that'll be 'Peril' from the Halo 2 soundtrack.


And then there's this one, starts at around 34 seconds in... yup, that's off the Gears of War soundtrack.


I'm told that they use the Splinter Cell OST quite a lot on TopGear as well, but I'm not as familiar with that.

Wonder how common the practice is? Shows have been using stuff from film scores for years now, so it's not that surprising, but it just amused me.

[EvilBoris]

Well I swore a heard the Gears of War music in an advert for one of those Swedish friendly bacteria yoghurt things

[EvilBoris]

YAKULT!

That was what I was thinking of

This be the Ad

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7i137_yakult-advert_shortfilms

[nakamura]

Yakult is japanese!

[EvilBoris]

always thought it was swedish for some reason

[Flabio]

Does sound a little bit like the Gears theme, but it's not quite the same.

[nakamura]

always thought it was swedish for some reason

Don't worry. So did I and I really should know better.

[mekanor]

Didn't top gear use hell march at some stage?

[Giga_Death]

Going ot - I've always wondered how feasible it is to just use music from elsewhere through the correct channels in another video game. There are many games from past decade that a game could reuse such assets, even if it's a cover I doubt anyone will care and most won't notice. PS1/PS2/xbox1 game music etc.

[Darwock]

Japanese TV seems to exclusively use videogame music and sound effects for their programmes.

Metal Gear Ac!d sounds are used constantly to punctuate quiz shows and the like, probably because of the easy samples provided in the bonus tracks of the soundtrack. There are also a hell of a lot of sounds from Parodius. I've also heard Shadow of the Colossus music being used for a documentary on Nazca Plateau, and Way of the Samurai music for something else.

[Lyris]

Are they allowed to just lift that stuff? I wasn't aware games companies really licensed this stuff out.

[Neon Ignition]

If I spot one it's still a bit weird but it kinda makes sense. If you're a programme maker who wants a memorable or dramatic piece of music for a sequence game music likely costs a lot less to license than film scores, plus it only takes a glance at modern day cinema release schedules to see that films with suitable and impressive scores aren't that common place anymore really as the use of chart music has become more common place.

[Malc]

I'm told that they use the Splinter Cell OST quite a lot on TopGear as well, but I'm not as familiar with that.

I have heard them use a few Amon Tobin tracks in Top Gear, one I definately remember was the lighthouse track from Chaos Theory.

[FreelancePolice]

Are they allowed to just lift that stuff? I wasn't aware games companies really licensed this stuff out.

I would've thought they'd have to get permission just like any other licensing.

[Wil]

I don't know about just game music but in Eastenders last night, Phil and his son Ben were using PS2 controllers to play something that almost, but not quite, completely failed to resemble an actual video game in every way. It was hilarious!