'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 has revealed the reasons behind his absence from the *Mass Effect 3* soundtrack, a significant departure considering his acclaimed work on the first two games. Wall collaborated with BioWare to create the iconic 80s sci-fi inspired scores for *Mass Effect* (2007) and *Mass Effect 2* (2010). The latter's soundtrack, featuring the memorable "Suicide Mission" track, is frequently lauded as a series highlight and a major contributor to the game's widespread acclaim as one of the greatest action RPGs ever made.

Wall's non-participation in *Mass Effect 3* (2012) surprised fans. In a recent interview with *The Guardian*, he attributed this to a disagreement with then-Mass Effect development lead, Casey Hudson.

"Casey wasn't particularly happy with me at the end," Wall stated. "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."

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While *The Guardian* alluded to "creative tension," Wall remained tight-lipped about the specifics. "Fallouts like that happen, it's just part of the deal," he added. "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 elaborate on the considerable challenges involved in completing *Mass Effect 2*, particularly the "Suicide Mission" sequence, offering potential context to his relationship with Hudson at the project's conclusion.

"It was the biggest mind-f***ing thing I've ever done in my entire life," Wall said. "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 *Mass Effect 2*, Wall composed music for various *Call of Duty* titles, most recently *Black Ops 6*. BioWare, meanwhile, is currently developing the next *Mass Effect* game following *Dragon Age: The Veilguard*, with the composer yet to be announced.