Obsidian Entertainment veteran and The Outer Worlds composer, Justin E. Bell, has announced that he has joined PlayStation Studios as Supervising Sound Designer.
Bell spent 11 years at Obsidian Entertainment, where he last worked as Audio Director. He also composed the scores for Grounded and Pillars of Eternity.
Bell announced his new role on Twitter, where he wrote:
I’ve always wanted to work for PlayStation…
So it’s surreal to announce my new role @PlayStation Studios as a Supervising Sound Designer!
Dreams come true folks. What a privilege to join this amazing crew pic.twitter.com/qFUvLtobr8
— Justin E. Bell (@sonic_presence) June 21, 2021
Sony’s Hermen Hulst recently revealed that PlayStation Studios is expanding. The company is constantly on the lookout for talented developers and external partnerships, and given Bell’s previous work, this is a significant hire.
It’s also worth noting that Sony has been placing a special emphasis on audio design in PlayStation 5 games, with a focus on its Tempest 3D Audio engine.
A job advertisement for Supervising Sound Designer was published by PlayStation on LinkedIn just a week ago, and it reiterates Sony’s emphasis on the importance of sound design. The description further reads:
We are looking for a Supervising Sound Designer to join our award winning team to craft high quality audio content for 1st and 2nd party product development projects. As part of our team, you will have the opportunity to work with some of the most quality-driven developers in the industry and on some of the most exciting AAA games for PlayStation.
