Stephen A. Rippy (born 1975) is an American composer from Texas who is well known for his musical compositions for the soundtracks of various video games, most notably the Age of Empires franchise by Ensemble Studios and Microsoft Games.[1]

Stephen Rippy
Born1975
Spring, Texas, United States
OccupationMusical composer
FamilyDavid Rippy (brother)
WebsiteOfficial website

Life and career

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Rippy grew up in the Spring area of Harris County, Texas, and now resides in Plano, Texas, near Dallas.[2] Making video game music was not Rippy's original career goal. He attended the University of Texas in the early 1990s to study visual art, and only took a few music courses.[3]

Rippy worked for Ensemble Studios as the head of the Audio department with friend and collaborator Kevin McMullan. He is best known for his sound design and scores on the Age of Empires series, its spin-off Age of Mythology,[4] and the Xbox 360 strategy game Halo Wars.[3]

Ensemble was closed down shortly after the release of Halo Wars. Rippy joined Zynga Dallas (then Bonfire Studios), a development studio formed from ex-Ensemble employees and led by Rippy's brother David (who is also a composer of video game soundtracks, having previously worked with Stephen for the Age of Empires series).[3]

References

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  1. ^ "About". Stephen Rippy's official website. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
  2. ^ Connelly, Richard (February 25, 2009). "The Pride Of Spring, TX, Doesn't Blow It For Halo Fans". Houston Press. Archived from the original on May 24, 2011. Retrieved February 26, 2009.
  3. ^ a b c Wilonsky, Robert (February 26, 2009). "Stephen Rippy Sets 'Halo Wars' High Score". Dallas Observer. pp. 1–2. Archived from the original on January 31, 2013. Retrieved November 7, 2009.
  4. ^ Staff (February 2, 2009). "Behind the Music of Halo Wars: Interview with Composer Stephen Rippy". Music4Games. Archived from the original on February 5, 2009. Retrieved November 7, 2009.
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