As video games continue to be a greater part of popular culture the world over, one area that is becoming a point of focus is the music that accompanies digital journeys. With publishers and developers understanding the fandom around gaming soundtracks and their composers, the continued acknowledgement of the talent behind game soundtracks is even leading to mainstream recognition.
UK radio station Classic FM will induct Yoko Shimomura into its annual Hall of Fame list for her work on 2016's Final Fantasy 15 soundtrack. The soundtrack officially entered the 2021 Classic FM Hall of Fame ranking at number 217 of the 500 most popular classic scores or soundtracks as voted by fans.
This is actually Shimomura's second induction into the Classic FM Hall of Fame with her previous work on the Kingdom Hearts soundtracks earning her similar achievement. With the new addition of the Final Fantasy 15 soundtrack, this will be Shimomura's first time to have two of her works placed concurrently on the list.
Shimomura's achievement of her second piece of work to enter the Hall of Fame comes at a point of considerable shakeup for the Classical Music ranking. The Classic FM Hall of Fame is based on votes by listeners as to what makes the list of the top 500 classical scores. The Final Fantasy 15 soundtrack was just one of the new additions to make the list, with Shimomura being among a ranking that saw more female composers than ever before over the 15 years of the Classic FM Hall of Fame.
For those keen to hear the Final Fantasy 15 soundtrack that got Shimomura her second placement on the list, publisher Square Enix has made it easier than ever. In 2019, Square Enix released the majority of Final Fantasy soundtracks to Spotify, finally allowing fans to play their favorite JRPG tracks on the go. With the considerable support of those soundtracks, Square Enix further celebrated Shimomura by releasing the Kingdom Hearts 3 soundtrack on Spotify in 2020.
The news of Shimomura's award comes as a new slew of players get to experience some of her most cherished work. After many years as PlayStation exclusive titles, the Kingdom Hearts franchise has finally released on PC as an Epic Games Store exclusive. These releases include all major entries in the franchise with the catalogue including both Kingdom Hearts HD Remaster collections as well as Kingdom Hearts 3 and Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory. The latter of the four releases is the most apt to celebrate Shimomura's work as the game is heavily reliant on the composer's impeccable talent.
Final Fantasy 15 is available now on PC, PlayStation 4, Stadia, and Xbox One.