Flickering moon, the road turns Cobalt blue.
I hope you are doing great and finding some peace of mind in this last stretch of December, the “silent time” as it is called here.
Epiphanies
Do you remember the moments that changed your life completely?
Emerging so slowly you don’t notice at first, and then jumping out, overwhelming you?
Looking back, I can connect a couple of seminal moments in my life to strong Epiphanies, meaning a “Eureka” state of mind that unlocks a series of decisions and, soon after, actions that would change the course of my existence:
At 15 years old: “oh, I could learn guitar by myself to play the songs I actually love on it instead of learning some music I don’t really care about”
At 18: “I could write music for films… I love films”
About 6 months later: “Wait. I love films, but I love games even more. What if… I made music for games?!”
In the recent past, I found myself completely taken off guard by a dream, which laid down the game we are creating with Cobalt Lane now in pretty astonishing detail.
On waking up and after jotting down everything the dream brought me I thought: “Could I… make this game myself?”
And so, as the year draws to a close, I find myself in a completely new place as a developer, from creating music for several games, to actually carrying the whole vision of a project and leading a team. Phew.
New perspective
As a freelancer composer, I react to the stories the devs tell me, as they share their vision of the characters, the world, the emotions and the dynamics in their games. All of this then gets translated into music.
I am fully aware of my unique perspective as a storyteller. This term is chosen deliberately because I believe that's what music for games should do, first and foremost. We have an incredible opportunity to shine lights on emotions and its undertones in a stealthy, elegant way. Then there’s all the fun dynamic music making, linking a musical system to a game’s many parameters. But that’s secondary to me.
Now as Creative Director I also react often. There are many examples: it could be a new concept drawing, an idea about the game’s design, a marketing beat… the difference is that as I look back to the source, I arrive at a dream I had in the early summer of 2024, something that imprinted itself unto me, or emerged from the unconscious just like one of the earlier epiphanies.
I feel both the lightness of knowing it all started with something as primal as this, as well as the burden of responsibility of keeping the vision alive and clear.
It’s pretty clear now: by being in the driver’s seat, you feel the road differently.
Inspiration: Her Story
Ever since the Psychologist’s questionnaire in Silent Hill: Shattered Memories I’ve been a fan of Sam Barlow’s work. What really stands out for me to this day is his minimalist OS simulation/FMV based gem Her Story.
To me, the game has a consistent eeriness in the way it presents itself. You not only feel the distress of the protagonist and the way her tale unfolds. You also feel the loneliness of the nameless person sitting in front of that old PC, the keyboard clacking away in what I imagine to be a dark office well into the night hours. This “cozy unease” is what captivates me at least as much as the core of the game itself.
You are sitting at your own computer - but you’re staring into a window of unknowns. At the same time, what you see somehow feels familiar - a bit like a fragmented, skewed mirror. You see your reflection, but are not recognizing it entirely.
I hope I can bring this cozy unease to our game. I love the idea of a game you can’t fully trust. A fine line!
Thank you for traveling on Cobalt Lane.
Filippo
PS: I’ve recently learned about many different ways of hiding things in plain sight. This one’s not too hard to find and use.
[This was originally posted on 18/12/2025 [url="https://cobaltlane.substack.com/p/from-composer-to-creative-director"]on our Substack[/url].]