Jack Wall on Missing Mass Effect 3: 'Fallouts Happen, It's Part of the Deal'

Composer Jack Wall has opened up about why he did not return for Mass Effect 3, despite crafting the iconic soundtracks for the first two games in the series. Wall collaborated with developer BioWare to produce the 80s sci-fi inspired soundtracks for Mass Effect, which debuted in 2007, and its sequel, Mass Effect 2, released in 2010. Mass Effect 2 is widely regarded as one of the greatest action role-playing games of all time, and Wall's soundtrack, featuring the stirring 'Suicide Mission,' is often hailed as a pinnacle of the series by fans.

The absence of Wall's contribution in 2012's Mass Effect 3 came as a surprise to many fans. In a recent interview with The Guardian, Wall shed light on the reasons behind his departure, citing a rift with Casey Hudson, who was then leading the Mass Effect development.

“Casey was not particularly happy with me at the end,” Wall admitted. “But I’m so proud of that score. It got nominated for a Bafta, and it did really well ... [even if] it didn’t go as well as Casey wanted.”

The Guardian hinted at a "creative tension" between Wall and Hudson, but Wall kept his comments on the matter brief. “Fallouts like that happen, it’s just part of the deal,” he explained. “It’s one of the few times in my career that’s happened, and it was a tough time, but it is what it is.”

Wall also shared insights into the challenges faced during the development of Mass Effect 2, particularly around the creation of the 'Suicide Mission' sequence. “It was the biggest mind-f***ing thing I’ve ever done in my entire life,” Wall recounted. “And there was no one available to walk me through it, because they were all freaking out trying to finish the game. I handed it in, and they had to do a lot of massaging on their end in order to get it to work, but they did it... and the result is still one of the best ending sequences to a game that I’ve ever played. It was worth all that effort.”

Following his work on Mass Effect 2, Wall moved on to score music for the Call of Duty series, with his most recent work on Black Ops 6. Meanwhile, BioWare is currently developing the next installment in the Mass Effect franchise after releasing Dragon Age: The Veilguard, though the composer for the upcoming game has yet to be announced.

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