Rockstar’s open-world franchise has always been renowned for its quirky, satirical and downright entertaining soundtracks. From libellous talk shows to great music, the company has a knack for expanding their vast worlds through the aural medium. And for Grand Theft Auto V, that trend is set to continue, after it was revealed that the fifth numerical entry in the prestigious series will feature 15 radio stations, two dedicated radio talk shows and 240 licensed songs, which accumulates to “somewhere in the proximity of 20 movies’ worth of score.”
Acting as the soundtrack’s supervisor, here’s what Ivan Pavlovich spoke of in his interview with Rolling Stone:
“For this game, which is set in our version of modern-day Los Angeles, what was important for us was to capture that feeling of LA and California. We approached the radio stations as the musical soundscape [you experience] as you fly into LA. One of the things we’ve never done in a GTA game before is a pop station; exploring that made so much sense in the context of LA.”
Crucially, GTA’s much-anticipated return to Los Santos and its surrounding area will herald a self composed score; one which will feature Tangerine Dream, DJ Alchemist and Woody Jackson – who previously worked on Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption. The dynamic soundtrack has been hailed as an interactive means of heightening the gaming experience. Musical scores will adapt to reflect the actions of the players and their current environment and will “play during missions and the open-world gameplay, and during online play.”
Throughout the series, the company has been treating our eardrums to stations such as Flash FM, V-Rock and Radio Los Santos – with the latter making a re-appearance in Grand Theft Auto V. The soundtrack itself was subject to a premature leak just last week when consumers who pre-ordered the digital version of the game were able to download the file ahead of time. As such, we understand that those aforementioned licensed songs will feature Queen, Elton John and Rihanna to name but a few.
After a five year hiatus for the series, Grand Theft Auto V will finally release worldwide on September 17th for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Be sure to check back later today when Rockstar unveils the full official trailer for the game. In the meantime, though, let us know if you’ll be visiting the expansive world of Los Santos in the comments below!