'Fallouts Like That Happen, It's Just Part of the Deal' — Mass Effect 1 and 2 Composer Jack Wall Discusses Why He Failed to Return for Mass Effect 3

Composer Jack Wall, known for crafting the iconic 80s-inspired sci-fi soundtracks for *Mass Effect* (2007) and *Mass Effect 2* (2010), has opened up about his absence from *Mass Effect 3*, a decision that surprised many fans of the acclaimed RPG series.

Wall’s work on *Mass Effect 2*, particularly the dramatic and intense “Suicide Mission” theme, is widely regarded as one of the standout musical scores in video game history. The game itself is often hailed as one of the greatest action RPGs ever made, with its soundtrack playing a key role in enhancing the emotional depth and immersion of the experience.

Despite this success, Wall was not brought back to compose for *Mass Effect 3*, released in 2012. In a recent interview with *The Guardian*, he shed light on the situation, citing a professional disagreement with then-Mass Effect project lead Casey Hudson.

“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 did really well—even if it didn’t go as well as Casey wanted.”

While Wall remained somewhat vague on the specifics, he acknowledged the existence of what *The Guardian* described as “creative tension” between him and Hudson. He also noted that such conflicts are not uncommon in the industry.

“Fallouts like that happen—it’s just part of the deal,” Wall said. “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 did offer some insight into the intense development process behind *Mass Effect 2*, which may help explain the strain in their working relationship. He described the effort required to complete the game's score—especially the climactic Suicide Mission—as one of the most challenging experiences of his career.

“It was the biggest mind-f***ing thing I’ve ever done in my entire life,” Wall recalled. “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 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 went on to compose music for several *Call of Duty* titles, including the most recent entry, *Black Ops 6*. Meanwhile, BioWare is currently developing the next installment in the *Mass Effect* franchise after the release of *Dragon Age: The Veilguard*. The studio has yet to announce who will be composing the new game’s soundtrack.

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