The anticipation for video games has reached a new peak in pop culture, with social media becoming a significant player in enhancing the rollout of a game’s release. Along with the heightened coverage of gaming, video game trailers have become even more of a necessity, with fans eagerly anticipating every aspect of a trailer,searching for easter eggs and innovative features.
A common element of many trailers is the use of commercial songs to enhance the promotion of a game, with music becoming an essential piece in soundtracking new releases. In the history of video game trailers, several songs have amplified a trailer’s content, with many songs becoming iconic through their association with specific video game franchises.
8Kanye West - Power: Saints Row 3
Hip-Hop Epic Acts As The Soundtrack To Awesome And Action Packed Warfare
Saints Row 3was the most hyped title in the franchise, with the gamecoming off the success ofSaints Row 2, which received much praise for its wacky and chaotic world. For the release ofSaints Row 3, the developers, Volition, chose Kanye West’s hip-hop extravaganza “Power” to soundtrack their opening trailer. In the trailer, Power accompanies a visual spectacle featuring a crime-ridden city decimated by violence and turf wars, all shown in slow motion.
The epicness and grandeur of Power only add to the trailer, with Steelport being depicted as a city full of excitement and chaos as the song enhances the scale by fitting with the game’s identity.
7Blood Cultures - Set It on Fire: Skate Story
Joyful Song That Encapsulates The Vibes Of Skating
For the indie gameSkate Story, Blood Cultures' song “Set It on Fire” perfectly encapsulates the feeling of skateboarding, with the song bringing a joyful presence to a skating game where the main playable character operates as a demon.
The use of Set It on Fire in its teaser, paired with the game’s content, capitalizes on recent trends in pop culture. The combination of a joyful song and a unique art style is reminiscent of the art style and soundtrack ofmovies and shows such asSpider-Man: Into the Spider-VerseandInvincible. DespiteSkate Storynot yet being released, its second trailer has undoubtedly succeeded, with its visuals and audio fitting seamlessly together to create a mesmerizing teaser.
6Hyper - Spoiler: Cyberpunk 2077
With the highly anticipatedCyberpunk 2077on the horizon, CD Projekt Red’sE3 trailer for the game brought forth a futuristic utopia, with the song “Spoiler” by Hyper being the soundtrack to Night City. Spoiler is an aggressive electronic anthem that perfectly encapsulates the crime-ridden utopia shown in Night City during the trailer.
Spoiler’s inclusion in the trailer brings a manic feel, with the audiovisual experience piquing the interest of many, asCyberpunk 2077went on to become one of the most notorious games of the last decade.
5Stevie Wonder - Skeletons: Grand Theft Auto 5
Groovy Tune That Depicts The Sunshine Of Los Santos
Grand Theft Auto 5marked the start of Rockstar’stotal dominance in the game industry, with its second trailer giving audiences a glimpse into the bright and sunny lights of Los Santos,GTA’sversion of Los Angeles. Using Stevie Wonder’s classic song, “Skeletons”, the trailer emphasizes the high life and the American dream that theGTAfranchise epitomizes.
Skeleton’s soulful and groovy vibe is the perfect soundtrack for the franchise’s first foray into Los Angeles, a city famed for its flavorful culture, bright lights, and criminal endeavors.
4Woodkid - Iron: Assassin’s Creed: Revelations
Triumphant Song Which Scores Intense Cinematic Starring Assassins
The fourth installment of theAssassin’s Creedfranchise,Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, marked the endof the Ezio Auditore saga, with its E3 trailer becoming famed for its cutting-edge cinematics starring the assassin. Accompanying the ahead-of-its-time cinematic is Woodkid’s song “Iron”, which gives off an epic audio experience to pair with the stunning visuals of Ezio and his assassin journey.
The song’s drums create a triumphant feel, reminiscent of a war cry, with Ezio set to have one final hurrah as the beloved face of the storied franchise.
3Nero - Doomsday: Borderlands 2
Dubstep Classic Enhances The Chaos Of Borderlands
Following the success of the first game,Borderlands 2was a much-anticipated title that further explored the world of Pandora. In theBorderlands 2Doomsday trailer, Nero’s “Doomsday” plays asthe theme ofBorderlands’new era, with the song’s wild style meshing with the chaos and action of the trailer.
Released in 2012, Gearbox and 2K embraced the dubstep phenomenon that was sweeping music at the time. In the trailer, the ferocious sound was utilized as the soundtrack to a game that epitomized much of the genre in being outrageous and explosive.
Return To Vice City Sees Rock Legend Voice The Soundtrack
In one of the most popular video game trailers to date, the introduction ofGrand Theft Auto 6in late 2023 brought social media and pop culture to a standstill, with the iconic franchise introducing its biggest title yet.Returning to Vice City,GTA 6usesTom Petty’s “Love Is A Long Road” to reintroduce the wild world based on Florida to the masses.
Love Is A Long Road’s rock ‘n’ roll sound gives the game a summertime feel, perfect for the location of Vice City andGTA’snext installment.
Chilling Song Provides Backdrop For Popular Franchise’s Beginnings
Gears of Warhas become a household name in gaming, with the series' first game having a cinematic trailer that single-handedly changed how video game trailers are perceived, revolutionizing the industry in the process. Using Gary Jules' song “Mad World,” theGears of Wartrailer has a chilling and ominous feel,with Mad World’s somber instrumental and vocalsonly adding to the carnage Marcus Fenix finds himself in.
Directed byTop Gun: Maverickdirector Joseph Kosinski,Gears of War: Mad World introduced the game to audiences in a unique and cinematic way, with Mad World being a vital aspect of the trailer’s commercial success.
