How Will Roget Made the Helldivers 2 Theme

In this episode of Main Quest, acclaimed composer Wilbert Roget II offers a deep and surprisingly personal look into the art of video game music, tracing his journey from transcribing Final Fantasy VII MIDI files as a teenager to composing some of modern gaming’s most iconic scores, including Helldivers 2. What begins as a technical conversation about orchestration and adaptive music systems gradually becomes a broader discussion about how music shapes emotion, player immersion, and even a game’s identity itself.

Roget reflects on working at LucasArts, learning from the musical language of John Williams, and balancing cinematic storytelling with the unpredictability of player-driven gameplay. More than anything, the interview captures the philosophy behind the now-iconic Helldivers 2 soundtrack: music shouldn’t just accompany the action, it should embody the physicality, chaos, and fantasy of the experience itself, creating themes that players don’t just hear, but feel.