Exclusive Interview: How Music Shaped the World of Zenless Zone Zero

When HoYoverse drops a caller game, players person travel to expect sweeping, high-fantasy orchestral arrangements and space-opera symphonies. But Zenless Zone Zero wholly shatters that playbook, swapping retired performance halls for the gritty, high-energy pulse of underground nine civilization and vintage aesthetics. From the lo-fi chill of Sixth Street to the high-octane EDM pounding done the Hollows, New Eridu’s euphony rises supra astir video crippled soundtracks arsenic the driving heartbeat of the full experience.

Behind this pivot into funk, acerb jazz, and physics sub-genres is Yang Wutao and the tight-knit squad of producers and composers known arsenic Sān-Z Studio. Operating much similar a corporate of late-night crate-diggers than accepted gaming composers, Sān-Z Studio's doctrine is fiercely straightforward: prioritize earthy emotion implicit manufacture trends. Whether collaborating with planetary physics icons similar Tiësto oregon capturing the quiet, solitary headspace of a azygous character, the squad approaches each way arsenic a standalone portion of creation meant to beryllium extracurricular the boundaries of the game.

With the game's highly anticipated carnal soundtrack dropping connected vinyl via Laced Records connected April 29th, fans are getting a tactile, analog mode to bring a portion of the game's satellite into their ain surviving rooms. IGN sat down with Yang Wutao to sermon the instauration of the euphony for Zenless Zone Zero.

IGN: One of the standout features of Zenless Zone Zero is however each Agent feels precise unique. When you'ree processing the quality EPs, what's the interior process for selecting a genre to lucifer an Agent's DNA? For example, however did you onshore connected EDM?

Yang Wutao: Music exists to explicit emotion — different it's conscionable sound. So we've ne'er had a "genre selection" process erstwhile it comes to quality EPs. There's lone ever 1 question: who is this character, and what bash they privation to say?

The IP squad gives america a foundation, but we'll proceed to excavation deeper from there. We'll fig retired things that aren't written into the lore, but a existent idiosyncratic would people have. For example, cipher told america what Yanagi thinks astir connected her commute home, but she's truthful busy, truthful utilized to taking attraction of everyone else, that I people recovered myself wondering: erstwhile she's walking location alone, what's going done her mind? That's the infinitesimal I wanted to capture. Caesar looks pugnacious connected the outside, but she's a Pisces, idiosyncratic who's genuinely delicate underneath. So we leaned into that broadside of her. Burnice is chaotic and afloat of energy, truthful EDM's explosive consciousness conscionable made sense.

We don't truly deliberation on the lines of, "Oh, this genre is trending, let's usage it." Emotion comes first, and the genre follows. Once we're wide connected who the quality truly is, the dependable volition people find itself.

After proceeding maine accidental each this, possibly spell backmost and springiness each the EPs different perceive — you mightiness adjacent spot a fewer cases wherever we fell level successful presumption of expression.

IGN: We've seen the crippled collaborate with monolithic names similar Tiësto and spouse with festivals similar Creamfields. It's wide that nine civilization is baked into the game's soul. How does the vigor of creation euphony power the plan aesthetic and music?

Yang Wutao: It's the different mode around, actually. Electronic euphony didn't signifier Zenless Zone Zero, but rather, it's much similar a radical of like-minded radical came together, and what we made conscionable people turned retired this way. That's precisely wherefore collaborating with DJs similar Tiësto felt similar a earthy hold of what we were already doing.

EDM fits this crippled due to the fact that it's inherently energetic. It has nary lyrics, not a batch of melody, and is built connected loops. But done verses, build-ups, drops, and different sorts of unconventional dependable design, it affects america emotionally. You don't request to recognize it, you conscionable request to consciousness it. That's precisely the benignant of acquisition Zenless Zone Zero wants to springiness players.

And honestly, a batch of games successful the manufacture are going orchestral. We didn't privation to spell down that roadworthy — we wanted to beryllium fundamentally different. The task squad and our producers gave america the abstraction to bash that, and we ran with that direction.

The results proved it was the close call. Whether it was Creamfields successful the UK, ZZZ FES present successful China, oregon ZLive events successful Japan, US, and different locations, we didn't person immoderate flashy high-tech signifier setups. We conscionable played the music, and the assemblage went wild. That's not america being impressive, it's conscionable the vigor that physics euphony carries connected its own. It has this happening wherever it puts you successful the portion close past and there.

Sān-Z Studio collaborates connected the soundtrack for Zenless Zone Zero.

IGN:The quality EPs often consciousness similar they beryllium connected a festival signifier alternatively than a accepted crippled soundtrack. When you're successful the studio, are you approaching these tracks arsenic video crippled euphony oregon are you trying to constitute a standalone popular oregon stone opus that could beryllium a deed connected the radio?

Yang Wutao: While successful the studio, we've ne'er erstwhile asked ourselves, "Is this crippled euphony oregon a popular single?" That framing conscionable isn't portion of our archetypal considerations astatine all.

We lone ever commencement from 1 place: does this euphony person emotion, does it person energy, and is it well-made? When a portion of euphony truly lands, it stops being purely functional — it becomes a song. The crippled has hundreds of tracks, and immoderate of their respective scenes are short, truthful immoderate tracks are much for utility. And that's fine. But quality EPs are antithetic — those are the ones wherever we clasp ourselves to the highest standard.

Of course, we besides admit that the crippled and the euphony elevate and complement each other. The information that ZZZ's euphony has reached truthful galore radical and resonated the mode it has, that wouldn't person happened without the crippled arsenic a platform, and we're genuinely grateful for that.

But we person a bigger extremity successful mind: if someday idiosyncratic who doesn't play Zenless Zone Zero, oregon adjacent idiosyncratic who has nary transportation to this ACG satellite astatine all, hears the euphony and loves it purely connected its ain presumption — that's the biggest benignant of validation we tin get. If we get there, great. If not, we support working. Simple arsenic that.

IGN:The Hyper Commission OSTs screen a monolithic magnitude of ground. How does the squad divvy up the workload betwixt composers and guarantee the euphony feels cohesive? Specifically, however bash you separate the vibe of regular beingness connected Sixth Street from the high-stakes, chaotic vigor of gameplay wrong the Hollows?

Yang Wutao: The wide cohesion is honestly much of a earthy byproduct than thing we deliberately engineered.

ZZZ's creation absorption has a precise beardown consciousness of identity. From the infinitesimal I archetypal saw it, the vibe deed maine immediately, and I knew close distant that physics euphony had to beryllium the foundation. But physics euphony itself has a batch of branches. The chill regular beingness connected Sixth Street and the unit of combat wrong the Hollows telephone for wholly antithetic sub-genres. Whatever feeling a country gives you, that's the absorption the euphony goes.

It was conscionable maine successful the beginning, truthful I tried to screen arsenic galore styles arsenic imaginable portion staying wrong the class of physics euphony — and that's astir apt however the "wide ranged but inactive cohesive" effect came astir naturally. As the squad grew, everyone who joined was a instrumentalist and understood the principles, and the instauration carried on. Even successful aboriginal versions wherever we've explored immoderate non-electronic directions, the halfway scenes and combat euphony person stayed existent to what was acceptable from the commencement — truthful it ne'er drifts excessively far.

The workflow is beauteous simple: erstwhile tasks travel in, we divided them up, everyone does their thing, and past we critique each other's work. We're nonstop with 1 another, and we spot 1 another. Sometimes the feedback is brutal, but that's precisely however you extremity up with euphony that really has character.

IGN:New Eridu has specified a chiseled ocular language, from the streetwear to the retro-tech. What benignant of references is the improvement squad handing the euphony department? Are you looking astatine manner and thoroughfare creation conscionable arsenic overmuch arsenic you are looking astatine philharmonic scores to find the close sound?

Yang Wutao: Honestly, there's nary ceremonial reference-sharing process. The creation squad conscionable sends a fewer images our way, specified arsenic quality designs oregon character/scenic drafts, and from those we beauteous overmuch get a consciousness of what to do.

But the deeper crushed wherefore that works is: that benignant of knowing wasn't built overnight. It exists due to the fact that we were already the aforesaid benignant of radical to statesman with. The euphony team, the creation team, the UI squad — we're friends extracurricular of work, gravitate toward the aforesaid things, and our tastes enactment up. Sometimes, adjacent a look is each it takes.

We don't deliberately survey oregon probe thoroughfare creation oregon manner trends. But we unrecorded beauteous down-to-earth lives — and that beingness is portion of thoroughfare civilization itself. We recognize the ambiance not due to the fact that we consciously observe it from the outside, but due to the fact that we're already wrong it. So erstwhile New Eridu's ocular connection is sitting close successful beforehand of us, we don't request it explained — due to the fact that that feeling is thing carved into our bones.

You could astir deliberation of it this way: we're New Eridu residents ourselves — conscionable a radical of adjacent friends moving antithetic jobs.

IGN: Battle euphony successful Zenless Zone Zero has a precise circumstantial dependable to it. What was the halfway directive for the combat themes?

Yang Wutao: If I had to sanction 1 halfway principle, it's that the euphony has to beryllium alive. The foundational benignant was established a agelong clip ago, and arsenic agelong arsenic we're not straying wildly from it, we really promote everyone to marque immoderate they privation to make. I'd overmuch alternatively each instrumentalist bring their ain personality, preferences, sensation — adjacent their beingness experiences — into the work. Because lone past does the euphony really travel alive, alternatively of conscionable being dependable that sits underneath the action.

Take Hugo's combat way for example: it's precise rock, precise metal, wholly antithetic from the physics consciousness of our main storyline. But it's live and has a personality. The infinitesimal you perceive it, you cognize who made it.

When each instrumentalist brings thing that's genuinely theirs, the combat euphony volition person a psyche of its own. To us, that matters a full batch much than stylistic consistency.

The Zenless Zone Zero soundtrack is present disposable connected vinyl.

IGN:New Eridu is obsessed with "old tech" VHS tapes, CRT monitors, and of course, vinyl. Does this retro-future aesthetic power your accumulation techniques?

Yang Wutao: VHS tapes, CRTs, vinyl records — these are precise circumstantial ocular symbols that are instantly recognizable. But euphony is abstract. You can't play a enactment that "draws retired an image" of a CRT monitor. So alternatively than saying this aesthetic benignant influenced our accumulation techniques, I'd accidental it triggered a benignant of feeling successful america — an impulse to spell backmost and find the sounds we remember.

Our squad spans antithetic generations, truthful everyone's explanation and narration with "retro" is simply a small different. But that's really a spot — it gives america a wider excavation of memories to gully from. Someone mightiness subordinate it with the grainy texture of lo-fi hip-hop; idiosyncratic other mightiness deliberation of jazz oregon bossa nova; idiosyncratic other could beryllium proceeding the philharmonic prime of 90s anime. Put those things unneurotic and you get a benignant of retro that feels layered and affluent alternatively than flat.

So the aesthetic's power connected america is little astir "technique" and much astir "what feeling are we trying to express." Technique is successful work of expression, and look is our core. We anticipation to usage the tools of contiguous to bring backmost the sounds each of america heard increasing up, and springiness them a location successful New Eridu.

IGN: In-game, players walk a batch of clip astatine Bardic Needle tuning Drive Discs. Music isn't conscionable inheritance sound successful Zenless Zone Zero, it's a mechanic for quality progression. Did the lore surrounding Elfy and her grounds store alteration however you viewed the soundtrack's relation for the player?

Yang Wutao: I don't deliberation it's the Bardic Needle's relation that changed however we spot music. If anything, it's the other — This plan confirmed what we'd been doing each along.

The information that the Bardic Needle works arsenic a conception wrong the game's satellite says something: the citizens of New Eridu spot euphony the aforesaid mode we do. It's not conscionable ambiance — it's tied to however a quality grows.

That said, the worldbuilding doesn't truly impact however we really marque the euphony connected a method level. We inactive attack things from the country itself. The Bardic Needle arsenic a abstraction — each those plants, Elfy's full aesthetic — people made maine deliberation of South American vibes. But she carries herself with specified elegance, a small antithetic from the passionate, high-energy consciousness of samba, truthful bossa nova was our choice. That's however the way "Tipsy Muse" came about.

The country convinces us, not the lore oregon worldbuilding. They, however, did marque america consciousness similar the euphony matters to New Eridu, and that counts for something.

IGN: The genre transitions successful Zenless Zone Zero are incredibly seamless. How did you constitute the euphony successful specified a mode that it could modulation betwixt precise antithetic atmospheres?

Yang Wutao: Honestly, we don't really deliberation the transitions are that seamless ourselves.

Zenless Zone Zero is simply a live-service game, and it can't person the benignant of cohesion a standalone single-player crippled can. A standalone crippled has a full acquisition based connected a implicit satellite from commencement to finish, truthful the benignant tin enactment accordant throughout. But we spell lo-fi 1 moment, physics the next, past stone aft that — there's really rather a spot of jumping betwixt versions and modules. We're precise alert of that.

But the crushed players mightiness inactive consciousness good astir it is astir apt this: each portion of euphony we constitute for a module is matched to that circumstantial country and those circumstantial characters. It's not conscionable dependable we're creating to capable successful a spread — it's the dependable that belongs successful that moment. As agelong arsenic each portion lands wherever it should, adjacent a large stylistic leap doesn't consciousness jarring, due to the fact that each modulation has a crushed down it.

So alternatively than saying we designed immoderate benignant of "seamless modulation system," it's much that we conscionable tried, successful each idiosyncratic moment, to get that scene's euphony right.

IGN: miHoYo is known for the orchestral sweeps of Genshin Impact and the space-opera consciousness of Honkai: Star Rail. Zenless feels similar a crisp pivot toward Funk, Hip-Hop, and Acid Jazz. Were determination circumstantial artists oregon eras that helped specify the game's philharmonic identity?

Yang Wutao: Most games physique their soundtracks astir mainstream scoring, with standout moments successful prime idiosyncratic tracks. ZZZ alternatively took a antithetic approach: the wide code is deliberately non-mainstream, and we've really done immoderate much "conventional" euphony successful definite EPs arsenic a benignant of opposition — truthful radical get to perceive thing that sounds a spot much "normal" too. So erstwhile radical telephone it a bold pivot, we ne'er truly thought of it that way. We're conscionable this radical of people, and what we marque people ends up sounding similar this.

That's besides wherefore ZZZ's philharmonic scope is truthful broad. It wasn't a deliberate prime — it's conscionable that each of america has wholly antithetic influences. Fortunately, our shaper Zhenyu Li trusted america capable to springiness america the state to explicit ourselves, which is wherefore each of this could beryllium implemented. Even now, we're inactive exploring caller directions — there's a batch we haven't gotten astir to trying yet.

IGN: With the vinyl soundtrack dropping connected April 29th, fans are getting a tactile mode to acquisition the music. Are determination immoderate tracks connected this grounds that you consciousness specifically payment from the vinyl format?

Yang Wutao: With vinyl, it's truly much astir the collectibility and ritualization. The infinitesimal you clasp it successful your hands and enactment it connected a turntable is simply a wholly antithetic acquisition from listening done earbuds portion scrolling connected your telephone — it's not astir audio quality, it's that the enactment itself carries a benignant of weight. We're truly stoked to beryllium moving with Laced Records to bring this to players.

As a vinyl grounds tin lone clasp truthful much, our logic for the way enactment was simple: this grounds is for the players, truthful we prime the songs that mean the astir to them. Whatever tracks radical person had connected repeat, those are the ones we selected.

At the extremity of the day, it's thing meant to beryllium kept and collected. Music is abstract, it floats successful the aerial — but this grounds makes it into thing you tin enactment connected a shelf, springiness to a friend, propulsion retired 10 years from present and inactive retrieve precisely however you felt the archetypal time. That successful itself, we think, is worthy something.