Client: Relic

Composers: Matthias Wolf, Alexander Röder, Henning Nugel, Christian Wirtz, Nicolai Patricio, Simon Wiebe, Armin Haas, Jochen Flach

Sound Designers: Severin Schwarz, Michael Prechtl, Fabio Corossel

Scoring History: Crafting the Music and Sound Design for Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition

There are few gaming franchises with a legacy as rich as Age of Empires. For decades, the clatter of swords, the ring of gathering resources, and the sweeping orchestral themes have defined the strategy genre.

That is why we are absolutely thrilled to share this wonderful project: we have officially designed the music and sound design for the cinematic campaign cutscenes across three epic expansions for Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition!

From the dusty battlefields of ancient Greece to the dense rainforests of South America, our mission was to create an immersive audio landscape that honors history while maximizing emotional impact.

Bringing historical warfare to life through immersive audio. Quelle: Age of Empires

A Journey Across Eras and Continents

Scoring a game like Age of Empires II isn’t just about making things sound “epic.” It requires deep historical research, unique instrumentation, and a careful balance between authentic traditional textures and modern cinematic power.

Here is a look at the incredible worlds we had the privilege to bring to life through sound:

1. Chronicles: Alexander the Great (2025)

• The Civilizations: Macedonians, Thracians, Puru
• The Sonic Approach: For this massive step backward into classical antiquity, we stepped away from traditional medieval tones. We blended ancient Mediterranean modalities with thunderous, driving percussion. For the Puru, we integrated rich, resonant ancient Indian textures to emphasize the clash of vastly different superpowers.

2. Three Kingdoms (2025)

• The Civilizations: Shu, Wei, Wu, Jurchens, Khitans
• The Sonic Approach: This expansion demanded immense emotional nuance. To score the legendary drama and political intrigue of early China, we utilized traditional solo string and wind instrumentation, contrasted against heavy, metallic sound design for the brutal sieges and cavalry charges of the Northern Jurchen and Khitan tribes.

3. The Last Chieftains (2026)

• The Civilizations: Mapuche, Muisca, Tupi
• The Sonic Approach: Our most recent project took us to the heart of South America. This soundtrack relied heavily on organic textures, utilizing indigenous woodwinds, deep skin drums, and environmental soundscapes. The sound design focuses on the dense, untamed terrain, weaponizing the sounds of nature alongside specialized war cries and acoustic weaponry.

Balancing Blade and Bow: The Sound Design Process

Every arrow zip, trebuchet launch, and armor clink in a campaign cutscene has to tell a story. In our studio, we approached the sound design by focusing on tactile realism.

When a commander speaks to their troops, the ambient world matters. We crafted bespoke atmospheric backgrounds for each campaign—whether it was the humid, insect-laden air of the Amazon basin or the echoing mountain passes of Macedonia. By layering authentic, foley-recorded armor rustles and weapon impacts, we ensured that the stakes felt incredibly high before the player even took control of their units.

“Working on a legendary franchise like Age of Empires is a dream come true, but it’s also a massive responsibility. The fans know these worlds intimately. Every instrument we chose and every sword clash we mixed was designed to respect the history while blowing the audience away.” — [Matthias Wolf, Lead Composer]

Experience the Campaigns Now

We want to extend a massive thank you to the developers and the incredible audio teams who trusted us with their vision.

All three expansions are now live. Fire up your game, jump into the new campaigns, and put on your favorite pair of headphones. We can’t wait for you to hear the world we’ve built.

Have a project that needs a distinct sonic identity? From cinematic scores to bespoke sound design, let’s talk about how we can bring your world to life. [Contact us today].