Organisers for High Score 2026 have released the first announcement for speakers for this year’s event, with all poised to deliver talks about music-making for video games throughout the weekend of 3 and 4 October at ACMI in Melbourne.
As in past years, the annual conference is designed to illuminate the importance of music in the world of games, offering inspiring and insightful talks for those working or aspiring to work in the games industry.
Here’s everything you need to know about this year’s event.
High Score 2026 – quick links
First speakers announced for High Score 2026
Several local and international musicians and composers have been announced for High Score 2026, many of whom have award-winning and award-nominated projects under their belts.
The headlining speaker is Australian composer Christopher Larkin, who is best known for shaping the musical world of Hollow Knight and Hollow Knight: Silksong. Larkin earned a BAFTA nomination for his work on the franchise, and it spurred him to contribute to other major projects, including Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault.
At High Score, Larkin will deliver a talk on his approach to music and sound design.
Also set to appear is the award-winning composer Wilbert Roget II, who will be exploring the idea of musical sound design and ‘how everyday recordings can be transformed into compelling elements of a game score,’ say organisers.
Roget is best known for contributing to an array of blockbuster gaming franchises, including Helldivers 2 and Mortal Kombat.
Rounding out the line-up is Duncan Smith, who currently serves as Head of Music at Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe. He’ll be discussing the creation of recent RPG hit Saros, and organisers say he’ll be tracing the journey from ‘defining a game’s musical vision and finding the right composer, through recording, production and interactive implementation, to album release and marketing’.
Smith will also discuss the roles of music supervisors and music designers, and how collaboration can fundamentally reshape a score as it moves from composition into gameplay.
What else to expect at High Score 2026
Additional speakers are set to be announced in September.
Per organisers, this year’s event will span ‘the breadth of contemporary game audio, from world building through music and sound, to scoring blockbuster franchises and the creative partnerships that take a AAA soundtrack from its first idea to the finished game’.
The program is being curated by Meena Shamaly, host of ABC Classic’s Game Show and a composer, session musician, lecturer, poet and broadcaster with a specialty in orchestral performance and live music.
‘In High Score, I have always found inspiration, wisdom, hope and community. It is surreal to lead the charge in 2026, and I hope to honour and elevate for others what this event has always meant to me,’ Shamaly says.
‘We navigate industries that are as thrilling as they are challenging, as we find our footing between established legacy and a novel future. Our first three speakers alone are a treasure trove of talent and experience, with unique insights into the creative process, intricate pathways into technical mastery, and new ways of reimagining business and collaboration.’
‘There is plenty more I can’t wait to reveal about our program … You will hopefully find something for which you were searching, and maybe a few surprises you weren’t expecting.’
