Christopher Larkin, Wilbert Roget II and PlayStation's Duncan Smith headline the first speaker reveal for the conference's 10th edition at ACMI.
High Score, Australia’s dedicated game audio conference, returns to Melbourne for its 10th edition this October, and the first speakers are locked in. Christopher Larkin, Wilbert Roget II and Sony Interactive Entertainment’s Duncan Smith lead the opening announcement for the two-day event, held at ACMI on 3 and 4 October as part of Melbourne International Games Week.
High Score 2026
- When: 3 and 4 October, as part of Melbourne International Games Week
- Where: ACMI, Fed Square, Melbourne
- Tickets: On sale now at vmdo.com.au/events/high-score-2026
Catch up on all the latest news here.
Larkin is the Australian composer and sound designer behind Hollow Knight and its sequel Hollow Knight: Silksong, work that earned him a BAFTA nomination and a name for detailed, atmospheric sound worlds. His talk looks at how music and sound design build a sense of place and emotional depth, drawing on credits that also include Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault.
Roget II, who scored Helldivers 2 and Mortal Kombat, takes a different angle with a session on what he calls “musical sound design”. Describing himself as a “musical trash collector”, he’ll walk through how field recordings, found sounds and unlikely source material can be reshaped into a game score, with audio and video examples along the way.
The 10th edition is the first programmed by Meena Shamaly, a composer, broadcaster and lecturer who hosts ABC Classic’s Game Show and has led live game music performances with Orchestra Victoria and the Adelaide and Queensland symphony orchestras. “In High Score, I have always found inspiration, wisdom, hope, and community,” Shamaly says. “It is surreal to lead the charge in 2026, and I hope to honour and elevate for others what this event has always meant to me.”
Broadcaster Angharad ‘Rad’ Yeo returns as MC, bringing more than a decade across ABC television, radio and podcasts covering games, tech and culture.
Presented by the Victorian Music Development Office with Creative Victoria and ACMI, High Score has grown over the past decade into the Asia-Pacific’s main meeting point for people making music and sound for games. Further speakers and the full program land in September, with tickets available now.
Grab your tickets here.
