The acclaimed Japanese composer contributes to the soundtrack of the new hardcore online shooter
Gaijin Entertainment and Matter Team are pleased to reveal that acclaimed Japanese composer and musician Akira Yamaoka, renowned for his work on iconic psychological horror games, has contributed original music to the hardcore online shooter Active Matter. Yamaoka is one of the key artists behind the game’s diverse soundtrack, which already includes more than 100 tracks created by dozens of musicians.
The music of Active Matter was conceived as a broad creative collaboration of bringing together independent composers, guest artists and licensed music. Rather than defining a single musical style for the fractured multiverse, the developers gave participating artists considerable freedom to experiment and contribute their own musical identities.
Yamaoka-san embraced that approach, creating several distinctly different tracks for the game. His contributions include the lyrical, acoustic “I’m Here,” the blues-infused “Porcelain Heart,” and the rock-driven “Neon Decay.” Together, they demonstrate the range of a soundtrack that can move from atmospheric electronics and acoustic music to rock and heavy metal.
“Working on Active Matter was a very exciting and inspiring experience for me. With this title, I was given the freedom to express myself through music without being confined by any particular genre. Rather than thinking about how the music should be categorized, I simply focused on creating what I genuinely wanted to express at this moment in my life as an artist.
Throughout the composing and recording process, I experimented with a combination of organic instruments, electronic textures, and unconventional sounds. I wanted the music to become an integral part of the atmosphere and identity of the world of Active Matter, while also reflecting something personal and instinctive in my own musical expression.
I’m very excited to see how this music will take shape within the world of Active Matter, and how it will be experienced and interpreted by players around the world,” said Akira Yamaoka.
The variety of musical styles reflects the nature of Active Matter itself. The game sends operatives into a fractured multiverse where semi-familiar locations and authentic modern military technology coexist with gravity-defying anomalies, strange objects and creatures transformed by active matter. Instead of trying to give such a world a single musical identity, the audio team deliberately allowed different sounds, genres and artistic approaches to collide with one another. This method gives each composer room to experiment while making the overall musical landscape of Active Matter as unpredictable and varied as the realities players explore.
The variety of musical styles reflects the nature of Active Matter itself. The game sends operatives into a fractured multiverse where semi-familiar locations and authentic modern military technology coexist with gravity-defying anomalies, strange objects and creatures transformed by active matter. Instead of trying to give such a world a single musical identity, the audio team deliberately allowed different sounds, genres and artistic approaches to collide with one another. This method gives each composer room to experiment while making the overall musical landscape of Active Matter as unpredictable and varied as the realities players explore.
Work on the soundtrack will continue after launch. Matter Team plans to regularly expand Active Matter with new music, while selected soundtrack compilations will also be released separately on streaming platforms.
Active Matter launches on September 15, 2026, on Steam, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
About Gaijin Entertainment
Gaijin Entertainment is the developer and publisher of the online games War Thunder, Crossout, Enlisted, CRSED: F.O.A.D. and Star Conflict as well as other PC, Mac, Linux, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, iOS and Android titles across several genres. The company’s diverse portfolio has received a range of mass media and game industry awards including such as Gamescom Award and many more. Official website: http://gaijinent.com/
