In recent years, video game soundtracks have become increasingly popular, with dedicated fans of not only the music but also particular composers. Many soundtracks are actively sought by collectors due to their limited-edition vinyl releases, which often feature unique or original artwork. The doublevinyl soundtrack forMarvel’s Guardians of the Galaxyreleased in December 2021 with special-edition pink and green records that quickly sold out, but game music lovers can find vinyls for everything fromSilent Hill 2toDemon’s SoulstoSquare Enix’sFinal Fantasy 10.
For fans of video game soundtracks who perhaps don’t have the cash to shell out regularly for vinyl records, it can be a bit more difficult to listen to their favorite songs. A few larger game publishers like Sega, Capcom, and Square Enix have made some of their vast catalog of music available on streaming services like Spotify, providing easy access to entire game soundtracks for millions of OST enthusiasts. And last month, Atlus added thesoundtracks forPersona 5 RoyalandStrikersto Spotify and Apple Music.
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Fans ofSquare Enix’s incredible library of music now have two more ways to listen. This past week, the publisher launched a channel on YouTube Music and uploaded a massive library of tracks from a wide selection of games, totaling over 5,500 songs from 62 albums. The company also organized the music into playlists on a new YouTube channel called “Square Enix Music Channel,” adding the soundtracks for games likeFinal Fantasy 9, Nier Automata,andChrono Trigger.But fans will also find more hard-to-find soundtracks, such as those for theManaseries,SaGaseries,SINoALICE,andOctopath Traveler.
The Square Enix Music Channel also features two-hour-long DJ mixes: “Mellow Music Mix” for those wanting to “chill, study, [and] work” and “Airship Cruise Beats,” which is music “to hype you up.” Both of these songs are in separate playlists, implying that additional mixes are perhaps planned for the future. Fans can even search for particular composers, likeNobuo Uematsu who worked onFinal Fantasy, the first twoSaGagames, andChrono Trigger.Square Enix has stated that the channel will also eventually include interviews with composers.
This move by Square Enix certainly presents a win-win situation for all parties involved. The publisher will be able to monetize the channel, gaining another stream of revenue, while fans of Square Enix games will have a reliable way to listen to their favorite soundtracks. Up till now, people itching to hear a particular song had to hope that the music had been uploaded by a third party, and finding a good source for soundtracks remained tenuous.
