Game music never ceases to amaze me. Whether listening to Nero's battle theme "Devil Trigger" from Devil May Cry 5 or immersing myself in the beautiful Peruvian soundscape of Ultros, the creativity and breadth of the music is astounding and admirable. At least that's what I thought. But it turns out that veteran Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu thinks we can do better, and that Hollywood is preventing us from doing so.

In an interview with NewsPicks (translated by Automaton), Uematsu explains why he thinks current game music could be better. He argues that the problem may be that directors and producers are "content with music in games that sounds like a movie soundtrack." Uematsu even goes so far as to say that if this Hollywood style of music continues, "game music will never develop any further."

While I agree that it can always be improved, every game soundtrack I've heard recently has been outstanding. The retro synth waves of "Sea of Stars," the epic music to accompany the thrilling battle scenes of "Final Fantasy 16," the wonderful radio soundtrack to "Pacific Drive," etc.

But apparently it gets better: the composer asks, "What can I do that only I can do?" and become truly creative with their knowledge and experience, game music will become more interesting," Uematsu said.

Uematsu also warned against using AI to compose soundtracks. He said the role of a good score is to convey empathy between the composer and the listener: "Go deep inside yourself, find your unique side, and express it. This is not something that can (or should) be replaced by AI.

Nevertheless, it seems unlikely that Uematsu will work on any more creative projects after the soundtrack for "Fantasian" in 2021. Uematsu previously said that he no longer has the "physical and mental strength" to compose an entire game soundtrack: "I would like to use the time I have left for other projects that I like." Fans can still enjoy the new theme Uematsu composed for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, "No Promises to Keep," an arrangement of his favorite music from the original FF7.