We provided an immersive, interactive audio solution for the upcoming racing game Inertial Drift from Northern Softworks. The title is a twin-stick arcade racer set in a 90’s retro-future, made for PC, console and Switch.
Inspired by early arcade racers, the game features stylised physics and gameplay and required a parallel approach for the audio design. We adopted this aesthetic across the music, engine sounds, foley and ambiences to create a hyper-realistic and high impact edge.
We used Audiokinetic Wwise to implement the audio systems, and we designed for Dolby Atmos, a special surround format (7.1.4) that includes vertical channels to allow sounds to move above the listener. We carried out mix sessions both in the Pixel Mill Dolby room, and the surround studio in QUB Sonic Arts Research Centre. Consequently, we were also invited by Dolby to present our work at GDC San Francisco and Devcom Cologne.
The game is an absolute joy to play and we’re blown away by what Northern Softworks have achieved with such a small team. The project has allowed us to get deep into Wwise implementation processes and explore Dolby Atmos for the first time.
