Darren Korb

Darren Korb (born November 5, 1983) is an American songwriter, composer, and voice actor. Korb is best known for writing the music featured in Bastion, Transistor, Pyre, Hades, and Hades II, all of which were developed by indie developer Supergiant Games. Korb also voice-acted in the latter two games, providing the voice for Zagreus.

Early life and career Korb participated in musical theater from the age of five and continued into and through high school. Prior to his work with Supergiant Games, he worked on minor television and film projects. Later, Korb co-founded the indie band Control Group; when not working on Supergiant-related works, Korb plays with them.

Work with Supergiant Games Korb serves as the audio director and composer of Supergiant Games, an indie video game developer. As audio director, Korb records the voice talent, sometimes while accompanied by Greg Kasavin, the creative director of Supergiant's games. GamesRadar+s "25 best video game soundtracks of all time" list (Transistor at 8th). IGNs "Best Video Game Soundtrack / Score of 2020" list (Hades). Kotakus Best Video Game Music of 2011, 2014, and 2017 lists (Bastion, Transistor, and Pyre, respectively). PCMags "25 Best Video Game Soundtracks Ever" list (Bastion). Kotakus Ari Notis wrote that "the music is always a character" in Supergiant's games. In regards to the latter, Korb asked Cunningham, at this point his roommate, if he would be interested in the lead voice role. Accepting the role, Korb would set up a microphone in a closet, where Cunningham would record his lines. Budget and expertise played a role in Korb's approach to the game's music. Tom Phillips of Eurogamer stated, "the game's musical score and innovative narration are stand-out elements."

Additionally, Bastion won the Spike Video Game Awards for Best Original Score and Best Song in a Game for "Build That Wall (Zia's Theme)". A physical CD version of the soundtrack was released on September 2, 2011. The soundtrack would go on to sell 30,000 copies by November 2011. Rapper Ab-Soul sampled "The Bottom Feeders" off of the Bastion soundtrack on his song "Terrorist Threats".

Transistor (2014)

After the success of Bastion, Korb composed for Supergiant's second game Transistor. Korb stated that he and his team, "spent a lot of time prototyping the art and audio to make sure that they were 'of a piece' this time. That was one of our goals. Bastion, I thought, turned out really nicely, but a goal on this project was to more seamlessly integrate the look and feel of the art with the feel of the audio." GameSpot noted that Korb used "dissonant chords in the upper range to create unease". On their collaboration, Korb stated, "after working with Ashley on a couple projects now, I feel like I've gotten a better sense of how to write for her voice. For me, that's the main consideration that affects my writing process. Our sessions are pretty laid back. If a melody line doesn't feel quite right in her voice we will change it on the fly." Tasos Lazarides of TouchArcade wrote "Darren Korb's music is astounding, rich and evocative as it echoes across the game and perfectly complements the bright yet mysterious world of Transistor". Additionally, the music in Transistor earned several industry awards nominations. The soundtrack album was released simultaneously with the game, on May 20, 2014, selling 48,000 copies in its first 10 days of release.

Pyre (2017) Korb served as the composer for the 2017 Supergiant release Pyre. Video game critics praised Korb's composition on Pyre, calling it "gorgeous".

Korb also ventured into voice acting on Pyre, providing the voice for some side characters. As the game leaned heavily into a Mediterranean sound, the soundtrack of Hades included traditional instruments such as Greek bouzouki, as well as the Turkish lavta and baglama. Notis wrote on the Hades soundtrack, calling it a natural progression for Korb's musical career, writing "It's all there: the industrial electric drums, the string instrument harmonies, the delectable crunchy tone that's so baked-in you can practically taste it." Fellow composer Austin Wintory collaborated with Korb on certain tracks on Hades. Austin Wintory, a contemporary of Korb's, collaborated on the Hades soundtrack, helping with the orchestral arrangements for "On the Coast" and "In the Blood". Korb once again worked with Barrett on Hades, with her vocals featuring throughout its soundtrack. Including the soundtrack on their list of best video game soundtracks and scores of 2020, IGN wrote that "Korb's masterful movements are finely tuned to meet every moment – from the rocking, frenetic energy of battle scores to the more calm, meditative, and wistful pieces that underscore some of the story's most emotional moments."

On Hades, Korb delved further into voice acting, providing the voice for the game's main character, Zagreus. When Supergiant first began developing Hades, Korb recorded placeholder dialogue for Zagreus, but received the role as the development team preferred Korb's take on the character when reviewing audition tapes. Inspired by the Greek mythological figure of the same name, Korb's interpretation of Zagreus features a "crisp, understated British accent." and also provided the singing voice for Orpheus, Hades' court musician.

Other projects While recording for Hades at Abbey Road, Korb also recorded Songs of Supergiant Games, an orchestral album commemorating the developer's ten-year anniversary. The game was released in 2025.

Artistry Musical style Korb is a multi-instrumentalist,

When beginning work on a game's composition, Korb mainly focuses on the "vibe" of its sound, stating "if I start with a particular feel in mind, this dictates a lot of things about the piece right away, such as tempo, production aesthetic, tonal palate (happy, sad, major, minor, and so on), and gives me some useful constraints for how to proceed."

Influences Korb has cited Weezer, They Might Be Giants, Radiohead, Björk, Ozma, Spiraling, and Led Zeppelin as artists and bands he listened to frequently during his adolescence.

Awards and nominations Year Ceremony Category Work Result 2011 Spike Video Game Awards Best Original Score Bastion 2012 Game Audio Network Guild Awards Best Audio in a Casual/Indie/Social Game Bastion Rookie of the Year 2014 National Association of Video Game Trade Reviewers Awards Original Light Score Mix, New IP Transistor 2015 D.I.C.E. Awards Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition Game Audio Network Guild Awards Best Audio in an Indie Game Best Original Song: Pop "We All Become" 2018 Game Audio Network Guild Awards Best Interactive Score Pyre 2020 The Game Awards Best Score and Music Hades Action Game of the Year Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction Outstanding Achievement in Character (Zagreus) BAFTA Games Awards Audio Achievement Music Game Audio Network Guild Awards Music of the Year Best Music for an Indie Game Best Original Soundtrack Album Best Original Song "In The Blood" National Association of Video Game Trade Reviewers Awards Original Light Score Mix, New IP Hades Song Collection Song, Original or Adapted "Good Riddance" 2026 D.I.C.E. Awards Action Game of the Year Hades II Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction