# Winifred Phillips

Winifred Phillips is an American music composer and author. Her music composition credits include God of War, Assassin's Creed III: Liberation, and the LittleBigPlanet series. In 2025, Phillips won a Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media for her music for the video game Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord.

## Early life

Phillips' love of music began in childhood, supported by her experiences in the public school system. She looked upon her teachers and looked forward to her music classes. In middle school, her band teacher found out that she was a quick learner and got into the habit of giving her a new instrument to learn whenever there was a gap in one of his ensembles. She got to play all sorts of music and all different kinds of instruments, eventually becoming classically trained in keyboard and voice.
Phillips had been an avid gamer in her childhood and played everything from shooters and side-scrollers to sprawling RPGs. However, it was only after working in radio that she realized she could compose music for games.

## Career
### Early career

From 1992 to 2003, Phillips was the composer, producer and actress in a series of radio dramas, first presented on National Public Radio Playhouse under the title Generations Radio Theater Presents, and then later as Generations Radio Theater Presents: Radio Tales. This anthology series adapted classic works of American and world literature, and was a recipient of funding from the National Endowment for the Arts. The series was described by NPR as "featuring a top-to-bottom music score that is completely original and fully integrated to the text". The programs aired regularly as the Radio Tales series on the Sirius XM Book Radio channel.

### Video games

In 2004, Phillips contributed music to her first video game project, God of War. She has composed music for more than 20 video games. Some relevant titles include the LittleBigPlanet video game franchise, SimAnimals and Assassin's Creed III: Liberation.

### Writing

Phillips is the author of the book A Composer’s Guide to Game Music, which was published by the MIT Press in March 2014. The book has won several awards including a National Indie Excellence Book Award, and a Nonfiction Book Award from the Nonfiction Authors Association.
The book was very well received by critics and in 2015, O'Reilly Japan published a Japanese language edition titled Game Sound Production Guide - Composer Techniques for Interactive Music.

## Works
### Discography
#### LittleBigPlanet Series

| Year | Title | Developer |
| 2011 | LittleBigPlanet 2 (co-composer) | Media Molecule |
| 2012 | LittleBigPlanet PS Vita (co-composer) | Double Eleven, Tarsier Studios and XDev Studio Europe |
| 2012 | LittleBigPlanet Karting (licensed music) | United Front Games and San Diego Studio |
| 2014 | LittleBigPlanet 3 (co-composer) | Sumo Digital |
| 2020 | Sackboy: A Big Adventure (co-composer) | Sumo Digital |

#### Other games

| Year | Title | Developer |
| 2005 | God of War (co-composer) | Santa Monica Studio |
| 2005 | Charlie and the Chocolate Factory | High Voltage Software |
| 2006 | The Da Vinci Code | The Collective |
| 2007 | Shrek the Third | Amaze Entertainment |
| 2007 | Shrek-N-Roll | Backbone Entertainment |
| 2007 | Ben Jordan: Paranormal Investigator (only case 6) | Grundislav Games |
| 2008 | Speed Racer: The Videogame | Sidhe Interactive |
| 2009 | Spore Hero | Electronic Arts |
| 2009 | SimAnimals | Electronic Arts |
| 2009 | The Maw | Twisted Pixel Games |
| 2010 | Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole | Krome Studios |
| 2010 | Hasbro Family Game Night 3 | Electronic Arts |
| 2012 | Assassin's Creed III: Liberation | Ubisoft |
| 2013 | Fighter Within | Ubisoft |
| 2014 | Clash of Kings | Elex Tech |
| 2015 | Call of Champions | Spacetime Studios |
| 2015 | Total War Battles: Kingdom (co-composer) | Creative Assembly |
| 2016 | Rival Stars College Football | PikPok |
| 2016 | Homefront: The Revolution | Dambuster Studios |
| 2017 | Little Lords of Twilight | BKOM Studios |
| 2018 | They Suspect Nothing | Coatsink |
| 2018 | Shattered State | Supermassive Games |
| 2018 | The Haunted Graveyard | Holospark |
| 2018 | Scraper: First Strike | Labrodex Inc |
| 2019 | Hades' Star | Parallel Space Inc |
| 2019 | Ballista | High Voltage Software |
| 2019 | Sports Scramble | Armature Studio |
| 2020 | Life Hutch VR | Chthonic Studios |
| 2020 | Spyder | Sumo Digital |
| 2020 | The Dark Eye: Book of Heroes | Random Potion |
| 2021 | Lineage M (co-composer) | NCSoft |
| 2022 | Jurassic World Primal Ops | Behaviour Interactive |
| 2023 | Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord (remake) | Digital Eclipse |

## Awards
### Video games

| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
| 2005 | Game Audio Network Guild Award | Audio of the Year | God of War | Won |
| 2005 | Game Audio Network Guild Award | Best Cinematic / Cut-Scene Audio | God of War | Won |
| 2005 | Game Audio Network Guild Award | Best Interactive Score | God of War | Won |
| 2005 | Game Audio Network Guild Award | Music of the Year | God of War | Won |
| 2005 | G4-TV G-Phoria 2005 Awards | Best Original Soundtrack | God of War | Nominated |
| 2005 | Spike TV Video Game Awards | Best Original Score | God of War | Nominated |
| 2006 | AIAS Interactive Achievement Award | Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition | God of War | Won |
| 2006 | Game Audio Network Guild Award | Best Original Vocal Song - Choral | "Siren's Song" from God of War | Nominated |
| 2008 | Hollywood Music in Media Award | Best Original Score - Video Game | Speed Racer | Nominated |
| 2009 | International Film Music Critics Association Awards | Best Original Score for a Video Game or Interactive Media | Spore Hero | Nominated |
| 2009 | Hollywood Music in Media Award | Best Original Score - Video Game | Spore Hero | Nominated |
| 2010 | Hollywood Music in Media Award | Best Original Song: Video Game | "With Hearts Sublime", from Legend of the Guardians | Won |
| 2011 | Game Developers Choice Award | Best Audio | LittleBigPlanet 2 | Nominated |
| 2011 | Hollywood Music in Media Award | Best Song - Video Game | "Victoria's Lab" from LittleBigPlanet 2 | Nominated |
| 2011 | NAVGTR Award | Original Song | "Victoria's Lab" from LittleBigPlanet 2 | Nominated |
| 2012 | AIAS Interactive Achievement Award | Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition | LittleBigPlanet 2 | Nominated |
| 2012 | Game Audio Network Guild Award | Best Use of Licensed Music | LittleBigPlanet Karting | Won |
| 2012 | Game Audio Network Guild Award | Best Original Vocal Song - Choral | "Main Theme" from Assassin's Creed Liberation | Won |
| 2012 | Game Audio Network Guild Award | Best Original Vocal Song - Pop | "Victoria's Lab" from LittleBigPlanet 2 | Nominated |
| 2012 | Hollywood Music in Media Award | Best Song / Score - Mobile Video Game | Assassin's Creed Liberation | Won |
| 2013 | Global Music Award | Best Video Game Music | Assassin's Creed Liberation | Won |
| 2014 | Hollywood Music in Media Award | Best Song - Video Game | "Ziggurat Theme" from LittleBigPlanet 3 | Won |
| 2014 | Global Music Award | Best Video Game Music | "Ziggurat Theme" from LittleBigPlanet 3 | Won |
| 2015 | Global Music Award | Best Composition / Composer | "Dark Ages" from Total War Battles: Kingdom | Won |
| 2021 | NAVGTR Award | Outstanding Original Light Mix Score, New IP | Spyder | Nominated |
| 2021 | NAVGTR Award | Outstanding Song Collection | Sackboy: A Big Adventure | Nominated |
| 2021 | Global Music Award | Video Game Soundtrack | Spyder | Won |
| 2021 | Global Music Award | Video Game Soundtrack | "Waltz of the Bubbles" from Sackboy: A Big Adventure | Won |
| 2021 | BAFTA Award | Best Music | Sackboy: A Big Adventure | Nominated |
| 2022 | Global Music Award | Game Music | Jurassic World Primal Ops | Won |
| 2023 | NYX Game Award | Mobile Game - Best Music | Jurassic World Primal Ops | Won |
| 2023 | NYX Game Award | Best Original Game Soundtrack | Horse Club Adventures: Complete Collection | Won |
| 2023 | NYX Game Award | Nintendo Switch Game - Best Music | Horse Club Adventures: Complete Collection | Won |
| 2023 | Game Audio Network Guild Award | Music of the Year | Jurassic World Primal Ops | Nominated |
| 2023 | Society of Composers & Lyricists Award | Outstanding Original Score for Interactive Media | Jurassic World Primal Ops | Nominated |
| 2024 | NYX Game Award | PC Game - Best Music | Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord | Won |
| 2024 | NYX Game Award | Best Original Game Soundtrack | Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord | Won |
| 2024 | Telly Award | Best Music — Immersive, Interactive, & Mixed | Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord | Won |
| 2024 | Society of Composers & Lyricists Award | Outstanding Original Score for Interactive Media | Secrets of Skeifa Island | Nominated |
| 2024 | Hollywood Independent Music Awards | World | Spring Festival | Nominated |
| 2024 | Grammy Awards | Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media | Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord | Won |

#### Other awards

* Hollywood Music in Media Award 2021 (Nomination), Best Holiday Music: Ho-Ho-Holiday
* American Women in Radio and Television Gracie Award 2001, 2003, 2004: Best National Network Drama (Radio Tales)
* The New York Festivals WorldMedal 2004: (Radio Tales)
* American Women in Radio and Television Gracie Award 1998: Outstanding Achievement by an Actress ("The Yellow Wallpaper")
* Golden Reel Awards 2001 / National Federation of Community Broadcasters (Radio Tales)
* The Audio Publishers Association Audie Award 1999 (Nomination)