17 Dec 2011 - International Music Team and Album Release for Soul Calibur V

On January 31, Namco Bandai Games will release the fighting game Soul Calibur V for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Facilitated by a large budget, a stellar international team of composers, performers, and engineers from the Creative Intelligence Arts participated in the title. They worked under the lead of music supervisor Hiroaki Yura (CIA) and returning audio director Junichi Nakatsuru (NBGI). Listeners can sample and purchase the official soundtrack for the title here.

Soul Calibur V will feature a team of composers from different countries and backgrounds. On the Eastern front, Nakatsuru will be joined by legendary game composer Hiroki Kikuta and 18-year-old prodigy Tomoki Miyoshi. They are supported by versatile indie-turned-pro composer and virtual instrument designer Andrew Aversa and award-winning Hollywood symphonists Cris Velasco and Inon Zur. Assassin's Creed lead Jesper Kyd also made a guest appearance on the score.

The compositions were recorded by Australia's Eminence Symphony Orchestra, a specialised scoring orchestra that previously recorded Soul Calibur IV. The ensemble performances were supported by rich performances by Eminence Symphonic Choir, the soloists of Eminence Artists, and operatic vocalist Jillian Aversa. The Lord of the Rings' John Kurlander recorded the score at the Trackdown Scoring Stage in Sydney.

In addition, the CIA have confirmed that they will release the official soundtrack for Soul Calibur V on January 31, 2012 to coincide with the game's release. The Soul Calibur V Original Soundtrack will feature 56 tracks, comprising over two hours of epic battle themes and cinematic cues.

The physical release of the soundtrack features three discs that will take listeners on a journey through the fighting experience. Packaged in a double digipak with hardcover cave, the premium collector's edition also includes 20 pages of liner notes, a behind-the-scenes DVD, and a special set of character cards. A digital release of the soundtrack will also be made available through iTunes.

Creative Intelligence Arts (previously The Core) is a newly established collective of musicians that aims to produce cutting-edge anime and game scores. On the unprecedented international collaboration, Yura notes that "Game companies like Namco Bandai Games come to CIA for talent because they want to pull out all the stops to meet high expectations of their fans. CIA was committed to a truly global approach [...] to create a production that will take the Soul Calibur experience to unprecedented heights".