Mikolai Stroinski Explained

Mikolai Stroinski
Birth Name:Mikołaj Stroiński
Birth Date:3 June 1979
Birth Place:Nairobi, Kenya
Origin:Los Angeles, California, US
Occupation:Composer, music producer
Years Active:2004–present

Mikolai Stroinski (or Mikołaj Stroiński, pronounced as /pl/; born 3 June 1979) is a Polish film, television, and video game composer.

Life and career

He comes from a musical family. His father, Wojciech Stroiński, was a trumpeter and pianist in the Royal Rag Jazz Band in Poland (1969–1981). Mikolai was born in Nairobi, Kenya, and grew up in Warsaw and Zalesie Górne near the Polish capital. He graduated from the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice and the Berklee College of Music in Boston (2004), where he studied film scoring and jazz piano under Ray Santisi. He writes original music for films and video games. He is known for scoring the video games The Vanishing of Ethan Carter (2014), (2015), Metamorphosis (2020) and other games, including Age of Empires IV (2021, French civilization) and Diablo Immortal (2022).

He lives and works in Los Angeles, where he moved after graduation. He began his career in 2004, scoring and composing music for TV programs and films, and then expanded to the gaming industry, scoring the trailer for Dark Souls II in 2014. He is also a music producer, working from his own studio, founded in Los Angeles in 2006. In 2017, he composed the soundtrack for the opening ceremony of the Hannover Messe world trade fair in Germany. His video game music has won him awards and critical acclaim. In 2024, Matt Leone wrote on the gaming website Polygon that he established himself as one of the strongest musical talents in the industry.

Selected works

Video games

YearGameDeveloper
2014MouseCraftCrunching Koalas
The Vanishing of Ethan CarterThe Astronauts
The Witcher Adventure GameCD Projekt Red, Can Explode Games
2015CD Projekt Red
2017Sniper Ghost Warrior 3CI Games
CD Projekt Red
2018CD Projekt Red
Jujubee
Attack of the EarthlingsTeam Junkfish
Detached: Non-VR EditionAnshar Studios
2019Varsav Game Studios
2019Sniper Ghost Warrior ContractsCI Games
2020MetamorphosisOvid Works
2021ChernobyliteThe Farm 51
Age of Empires IVRelic Entertainment, World's Edge
2022Diablo ImmortalBlizzard Entertainment, NetEase
2024Nobody Wants to DieCritical Hit Games
2025Assassin's Creed JadeUbisoft

Television

Film

Awards and nominations

YearResultAwardCategoryWorkRef.
2014Annual Game Music AwardsBest Score Orchestral / Cinematic;
Outstanding Contribution – Newcomer of the Year
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
201518th Annual D.I.C.E. AwardsOutstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition
Game Developers Choice AwardsBest Audio
Hollywood Music in Media AwardsBest Original Score – Video Game
NAVGTR AwardsOriginal Dramatic Score, Franchise
Best of IGNBest Original Music
The Game AwardsBest Score / Soundtrack
PlayStation.Blog Game of the Year AwardsBest Soundtrack
Global Game AwardsBest Audio
2019Digital Dragons AwardsBest Game Soundtrack
2020Music+Sound AwardsBest Original Composition in Gaming
Game Audio Network Guild AwardsBest Original Instrumental;
Best Music in a Casual Game;
Best Original Soundtrack Album
Best Music for an Indie Game
2021Metamorphosis
Music of the Year
Society of Composers & LyricistsOutstanding Original Score for Interactive Media
2022Canadian Game AwardsBest Score / SoundtrackAge of Empires IV

External links