If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.

Is The Last of Us composer Gustavo Santaolalla doing the music for Red Dead Redemption 2?

Red Dead Redemption 2's announcement trailer had a clue only now fans are beginning to unravel.

Cover image for YouTube video

Gustavo Santaolalla, the incredibly talented composer who worked on films such as Babel, Brokeback Mountain, and others also composed the sublime soundtrack of The Last of Us.

The Argentinian musician is returning for The Last of Us: Part 2, but we may see his work in more than Naughty Dog's games.

Over the weekend, NeoGAF member Simo pointed out the similiarities between Santaolalla Apertura piece from The Motorcycle Diaries soundtrack, and the music used in the reveal trailer for Red Dead Redemption 2.

We've emended the trailer above and the track in question below, and you can definitely hear the association. The Red Dead Redemption 2 version uses piano in place of guitar, but the two are very similar that it's not likely to be a coincidence.

Cover image for YouTube video

With that in mind, it's possible the Red Dead Redemption 2 version was simply inspired by Santaolalla's music, seeing as how his music usually carries similar themes to what you would hear in a Western.

It's worth noting that Rockstar is a big company and wouldn't just use any old track to accompany one of its trailers. The publisher has an extensive licensed music library, and has commissioned original music for all of its recent games, so there's certainly more to this story than meets the eye.

Rockstar has not yet revealed a single bit of detail about the game, but it's not outside the realm of possibilities for Santaolalla to be involved. Whether or not that ends up being the case here, though, will be revealed at launch.

Red Dead Redemption 2 is out this fall.

Sign in and unlock a world of features

Get access to commenting, homepage personalisation, newsletters, and more!

In this article

Red Dead Redemption

PS4, PS3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Switch

Red Dead Redemption 2

PS4, Xbox One, PC

See 1 more
Related topics
About the Author
Sherif Saed avatar

Sherif Saed

Contributor

Sherif (he/him) is VG247’s go-to shooter and Souls-likes person. Whether it’s news, reviews, or op-eds – Sherif is always eager to tell you about video games. He's one of VG247's most veteran writers, with 10+ years experience on the site.

Comments