Stormzy and the games industry

 Those are two nouns I didn't expect in the same sentence

So I am a Brit, technically, having been born and raised on this particular heap of rock; but I suppose I'm soon to have that title withdrawn once I reveal that I do not, and have never, listened to Stormzy's music. This isn't a music related blog so I won't get into my personal tastes or possible reasons why I've never been exposed to this man's stuff, but I'll go so far as to say it's in no disrespect to his apparent talent as I do know the man has been something of a British icon for years now. (Some people must like him) Yet even with my interests firmly settled on the more digital worlds out there, somehow recent events have forced Stormzy into my headlights, and I find that rather intriguing. You see, as the Games industry slowly progresses to a point of entertainment dominance, more and more popular figures have headed it's way to try and lap up some of those profits, and now we're starting to hear feedback on how successful this transition has been. For instance, we have Stormzy.

England has never been the most interesting place to explore in the video gaming world, we don't have much here except really old castles (Which aren't nearly as cool as some of the one's in eastern Europe) and lots of rain, but regardless Ubisoft have had themselves something of an English renaissance with their key franchises this year. Most notably of which being Watch Dogs Legion which takes place in alternate future-history version of London (or at least, hopefully alternate history) wherein everything is just that little bit more cyberpunky than the modern day and there's some sort of paramilitary dictators running the country or something, I dunno I just work here. Now Ubisoft's vision of London is quite cool to see, but I don't think anyone expected Ubisoft to go above and beyond in affirming how the only way to really bring the spirit of London alive was to somehow rope Stormzy into the game! I mean how did they even make that leap in logic? (I mean it makes total sense to me; London doesn't quite feel right unless I walk out my door and wave to Stormzy everyday) Whatever the thought process, they got there and then managed to get the man in the game. (Kudos to them.)

As it just so happens his contribution is more than just in a single side quest where he voices over one of the most boring hacking minigames that Watch Dogs insists on repeating ad nauseum, (I hate that stupid 'connect the dots' minigame) he actually showed up for an entirely game-rendered music video which featured one of his brand new songs. I actually watched the video myself and I will note, the fact that his model exists within the same graphical world as his backdrops really sells the illusion of the video, I mean you get the same effect from really high budget music videos, but it was still an interesting and well-conceived attempt. So that right there is worth commending Ubisoft on, they've gone above and beyond to make a music video in a manner that has never been done bef... okay, it has been done with GTA V and I guess with Fortnite, but his was a flagship marketing move, so it received the sort of amplified attention that those other events perhaps slightly lacked in.

But where this all becomes really interesting is in the aftermath of this little publicity stunt which Ubisoft pulled, because you see, I never really realised this but Stormzy isn't exactly the sort of persona one thinks of when they think of an artist connected to the gaming industry. He's a very popular grime artist who's close to household name down this end of England, but when talking about the International stage I wouldn't be surprised if there's many Americans who'd never even heard of his music. I mention this, because the sort of exposure he would have received from being heavy broadcast in a game with as much inexplicable universal appeal as Watch Dogs might certainly serve as an indication for the sort of cross-pollination potential that the gaming industry holds. ( I never even thought about this until a literal headline brought it up.) 

And according to a VP at Warner Bros., Watch Dogs did as much for Stormzy as James Bond did for Billie Eilish, and that's the sort of bold statement that gets these eyebrow a-raising. Of course, the comparison there is made to the recent theme for the James Bond movie which feel like it'll never release, No Time to Die, for whom the coveted role of 'music artist' was awarded to Billie Eilish. Typically this a tremendous opportunity for any artist to be featured alongside such a storied franchise as it not only speaks to the prestige of the artist but acts as a huge boost in exposure for them. If the tune is good enough it might even enter the annals of movie history like 'Skyfall'. (Which I still genuinely consider to be one of the greatest Bond themes ever.) Now is this here Warner Bros. Executive claiming that Watch Dogs is as big as all that? Certainly not within the mainstream, but perhaps figures are enough to back up that bold sentiment?

Well by Tim Miles' account, (he being the VP in question) he's noted that this sort of explosion in exposure is a documented event that has been witnessed for TV and movie, and this has marked the first time such a growth (Which he likens to a doubling in streams and new fans) has happened in the world of video games. And I think that in itself marks an interesting precedent for either the growth of the gaming industry or the decline of Cinema. (I think he was referring to the former though, for what it's worth) I wonder if Stormy genuinely has acquired a sizable number of new fans from his brief cameo, and what that might encourage other upcoming artists to partake in in hopes of comparable results. It's not like the gaming industry is starving for original music artists and scores, so don't think there's any great promise for the industry in that sense, but perhaps a little more mainstream recognition might be on the horizon.

Although what I really want to know, is how this same scenario will play out for the bevy of supporting artists in the upcoming Cyberpunk 2077, because there's going to a bunch of integration with real-life artists in there. I mean, right now we don't even know how their songs are going to be displayed in the game other than that they'll be on the radio as mood music, but then is that with them playing versions of themselves in this Cyberpunk world? When Run the Jewels actually name-drop Keanu Reeves is that then in reference to Keanu Reeves as Johnny Silverhand or Keanu as the CEO of his motorbike company. (As in the Cyberpunk lore I believe he is canonically known for his company.) But if Cyberpunk proves to have a similar effect on it's contributing artists then the music industry might be in for heck of a heel turn. (And I'm not sure if that's for better or for worse yet.)

 I've always invited maintstream coverage of gaming in the hopes that our pastime slowly works it's way out from under the 'pariah' label, and given the rampant success of it's contribution to Entertainment I can only hope that time is soon. Maybe as musicians start to respect this platform a snowball will be set-off, as long as the music industry keeps it's claws far away from positions of power within the gaming landscape, I'm happy. (So much of what keeps this industry great is based on trust and the music industry is built on mistrust.) Ultimately, however, I'm just glad that Ubisoft could prove itself a viable vehicle for British talent, enough to be comparable with one of the oldest ongoing institutions in Entertainment. That's quite the achievement, it must be said.