2024 was a satisfying year for Alien fans. First, there was Director Fede Álvarez’s summer blockbuster Alien: Romulus. Then in December, the action-horror VR game Alien: Rogue Incursion — developed and published by Survios — was released on PS VR2 followed by the Meta Quest 3 and Steam VR releases this month.

Set in the Alien franchise universe between the films Alien and Aliens, Alien: Rogue Incursion tells an original Alien story written by Alex White, who has penned two Alien novels. The player takes on the role of ex-Colonial Marine Zula Hendricks, who’s on a dangerous mission to the uncharted planet Purdan. The player gets to battle facehuggers and Xenomorphs in a virtual environment instead of just watching the action unfold on screen!

Here, Survios’s Head of Audio Department Chris Dang and Senior Technical Sound Designer Tim Schumann talk about crafting the sound design and mix of Alien: Rogue Incursion, how they captured the tone of the films in their game sounds, how creating and implementing sound for a VR game compares to a console game, how they created a feeling of depth in the environment, and how they used sound to put the player in Zula Hendricks’s shoes. They also talk about mixing the quiet exploration moments and the combat moments, using dynamics to elevate heart rates, and much, much more!

Alien: Rogue Incursion | Launch Trailer

Alien: Rogue Incursion is set between the films Alien and Aliens. Can you talk about capturing the films’ tone in terms of tech sounds, weapons, doors, alarms, etc.? What were some references or guidelines for setting the tone of this game through sound?

Chris Dang (CD): As…