Gangs of Sherwood is a medieval cooperative action game that reimagines the Robin Hood universe through a dystopian, technology-infused lens. The game was developed in Unreal Engine using Unreal’s native audio systems.
On this project, Demute acted as the full audio team, handling sound design, implementation, audio programming, voice production, and music coordination.
We joined the project early in production with the objective of building an audio layer that could support fast-paced cooperative combat while reinforcing a world that blends medieval folklore with modern elements. Audio needed to be readable, impactful, and tightly synchronized with gameplay to support player coordination and combat clarity.
Our collaboration model was that of a full audio team. We took ownership of the game’s audio pipeline end to end, from defining the sonic direction to delivering and integrating all assets directly in-engine.
Day to day, we worked under the direction of the game producer and in close collaboration with gameplay, animation, and technical teams. We were integrated into daily meetings, acting as a full part of the development team rather than an external provider.
Audio was implemented directly in Unreal Engine 4, without external middleware and before the introduction of MetaSounds. This required us to design custom workflows and iterate continuously alongside gameplay changes.
Voice production followed a similarly iterative process. Early in development, we used generative AI to validate overall voice structure and script direction. We then recorded placeholder voice performances internally, allowing the team to validate tone, pacing, and character intent before moving on to final casting and in-house recording sessions.
One of the main artistic challenges was blending traditional medieval sound references with the modern, high-energy action demanded by the game’s combat. From a technical standpoint, building a full audio pipeline using Unreal’s native audio tools was still relatively uncommon at the time, requiring careful system design and close coordination with the rest of the production.
To address these challenges, we developed a hybrid sound language combining organic medieval textures with more processed and modern elements, creating larger-than-life, hyper-realistic sound effects in support of gameplay. We spent a considerable amount of time defining sound palettes for each material in the game.
In Gangs of Sherwood, materials influence both weapon reactions and character abilities, making consistency critical to maintaining a coherent sonic identity across combat, environments, and skills.
On the technical side, we designed Unreal Engine 4-based audio workflows that allowed rapid iteration and kept audio tightly aligned with animation timing and gameplay feedback throughout production. Using Unreal’s native audio tools, we implemented key systems such as surface detection for footsteps, contextual music transitions and switches based on tempo and time signature, an interactive mix, and a dialogue system designed to ensure narrative clarity while keeping combat banter and grunts alive.
In the end, our goal was not just to deliver strong sound design, but to make audio an active contributor to combat readability, rhythm, and player coordination in a modern cooperative action game.
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