The Division 2: Massive went to Chernobyl to record the Dark Zone's eerie sounds
The Division 2 developer Massive has given us a behind-the-scenes look at creating the sound, and music of the game.
The video is fairly detailed, offering insights from The Division 2's audio director Simon Koudriavtsev, as well as music composer Ola Strandh, who returns to score the sequel.
Anyone who played both games will attest to the upgraded sounds in The Division 2. This is immediately clear in weapon sounds, which are generally much sharper, and carry a lot more oomph. For the sequel, Massive not only recorded all weapon sounds, it did so in environments similar to what you'll find in the game's Washington setting, to capture the reverb effects.
For the Dark Zone, the game's unique PvPvE areas, Massive went to the closest approximation: Chernobyl. The team recorded the quietness of the town to create an eerie feeling for anyone exploring the zone in the game.
One other notable improvement is The Division 2's ambient sounds, and surround effects. This is already excellent in stereo, but using Dolby Atmos can really make some of the incidental / environmental sounds feel very real.
