Sarah Schachner, one of the game industry’s best composers, has announced that she has stepped away from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II and will no longer provide any new music for Activision and Infinity Ward’s new shooter, including the free-to-play battle royale, Call of Duty: Warzone.
Schachner revealed the news following eager requests from fans as to when the Modern Warfare II soundtrack might drop, but she didn’t have the best news to share, initially saying that she had “no control over these things” before confirming that she had distanced herself from the team entirely, citing “challenges in the working dynamic with the game’s audio director,” Stephen Miller.
Schachner is best known for her Assassin’s Creed soundtracks, including those for Origins and Valhalla, the latter of which was a joint effort with Jesper Kyd and Einar Selvik. She also composed the soundtrack to this year’s Predator movie, Prey, for Hulu.
Thanks but I have no control over these things. It would be out now if it were up to me. https://t.co/oGwbtiGWBN
— Sarah Schachner (@SarahSchachner) October 27, 2022
Many of you have been asking about the MWII soundtrack release.
— Sarah Schachner (@SarahSchachner) November 3, 2022
Here is my statement regarding that: pic.twitter.com/UEqgpCTjUg
Here is Schachner’s statement in full:
I am sad to say I can no longer continue to compose music for MWII / Warzone. Over the past couple of months the working dynamic with the audio director has become increasingly challenging and I don’t see any path forward. As of now, I am unsure of the status and release plan for the soundtrack as it’s been taken out of my hands.
While I don’t have any control over how the music is presented in-game, what will be released on the soundtrack is not my artistic intent in regards to mixing and mastering. Mike Dean was a part of the creative vision for the album as well as mixer Frank Wolf. We have soundtrack masters in hand from Mike which unfortunately you will never get to hear.
I would like to acknowledge the incredible hard work of the audio team as a whole, and I hope you still enjoy it because I put so much work and effort into it. The score features some wonderful performances by musicians Baseck, Brain Mantia, and M.B. Gordy. I’m truly appreciative of the outreach so far and I feel a responsibility to the fans to remain authentic in my approach with the game and its sound which I have been a part of creating for many years.
Thank you,
Sarah