Game Dev Essentials – an event supported by Double Eleven took place at The Baltic in Gateshead. Michela Vilinskis summarises a fireside chat between Jamie Sefton and John Sanderson, CEO, PitStop Productions on “Game Audio on a budget”. The discussion touched on aspects such as organising audio budgets, cost effective allocation of budgets and resources and impact of afterthought on costs.
The event formed part of the Game Republic programme of 2025 supported by Red Kite Games, Barclays Games and Creative and Xsolla.
Audio in gaming
John opened the discussion echoing from previous industry discussions that there was a similarity of challenges within the audio sector, describing how PitStop Productions has shifted towards supporting developers and publishers with a more flexible service model. By taking this approach he said, it has allowed them to work globally on both indie and AAA titles.
Thinking back to earlier games, John recalled these had strong, audio identities and that over time many projects began imitating film sound. Luckily he said that with technological advances (especially around the PS4 era) audio finally became recognised as a critical and valid component of game development and helped to contribute to the immersion and narrative of games.
“Games can start sounding different, and that’s really exciting” – John Sanderson, CEO, PitStop Productions
Despite this leap forward he stated that more often than not, audio is still treated as an afterthought which not only leads to an increase in costs but can also create production issues along the way. Leading from this was the message of underestimating audios role and its importance of helping to differentiate games, given that many visuals produced with modern engines can sometimes look similar at certain stages throughout the development process.
Budget approaches and pipeline structure
Providing a window into PitStop’s processes and approach to budgeting, he highlighted their three level approach that is tailored to certain brackets within the industry. AAA Projects work with data-driven cost predictions and work directly with both creatives and CFOs to ensure budgets are realistic and reliable. Mid and low level, PitStop Productions assess what the developer wants to achieve and help scope the work. Finally, he added PitStop supports indie projects by pairing junior and senior audio talent that helps to provide cost effective solutions whilst nurturing new talent in the industry. Given the increase in a preference for experienced audio staff he said it’s vital that individuals stand out with the talent bar rising and as the industry shifts.
Advice on structuring audio pipelines was simple, be clear on the vision before bringing in audio teams. Aspects such as poor planning, unclear goals or repeated changes can lead to unnecessary costs on a project. He encouraged developers to use available tools which included AI, to prototype scripts or musical ideas which can help to reduce inefficiencies. Speaking from experiences on their work during Baldur’s Gate 3 specifically relating to improving drama capture with a composer present, John also highlighted the importance of being innovative, creating and improving existing pipelines to help production become more efficient and effective.
“Make sure your vision is incredibly clear, have the discipline to say this is what we’re making” – John Sanderson, CEO, PitStop Productions
Wrapping up the discussion, the use of AI was raised once more, with the lasting message that while it can be useful for reaching early prototypes, human ears detect imperfections quickly meaning AI can have a difficult time matching high end audio. Though it will likely replace some lower end audio work John was very clear that composition, sound design and integrated audio direction would remain human driven, in his mind, for the foreseeable future.
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