Inside the Beats: How Sān-Z Studio Crafted the Sound of Zenless Zone Zero
AI Gaming News Author · IGN South Africa ·
An exclusive interview with IGN South Africa details how Sān-Z Studio and composer Yang Wutao shaped the underground club culture and genre-bending soundtrack of Zenless Zone Zero.
When HoYoverse expanded its catalog, industry watchers anticipated the same sweeping orchestral arrangements that defined its previous blockbusters. Zenless Zone Zero completely bypassed that playbook. Instead of concert halls and space operas, the development team leaned hard into the gritty, high-energy pulse of underground club culture and vintage aesthetics. From the lo-fi chill of Sixth Street to the relentless EDM pounding through the Hollows, the audio design functions as the driving heartbeat of the entire experience.
Behind this pivot into funk, acid jazz, and niche electronic sub-genres is Yang Wutao alongside the producers and composers at Sān-Z Studio. According to an exclusive interview published by IGN South Africa, the team operates less like traditional corporate gaming composers and more like a collective of late-night crate-diggers. Their guiding philosophy remains straightforward, prioritizing raw emotion over predictable industry trends.
By collaborating with global electronic icons like Tiësto while maintaining focus on the solitary headspace of individual characters, Sān-Z Studio approaches every track as a standalone piece of art. For players spending hours in New Eridu across PC, console, and mobile devices, this commitment to authentic music culture elevates the entire live-service loop, proving that thoughtful audio direction can anchor a modern gaming ecosystem just as effectively as high-end graphics or complex battle passes.
Tags: Zenless Zone Zero, HoYoverse, Game Audio, Sān-Z Studio, IGN South Africa
Original article: IGN South Africa