How Jungle Crafted the Sonic World of PlayStation’s Latest Epic

PlayStation doesn’t do small worlds, and neither does Jungle sound designer Sam Carson.

Brought in from the very first voice record, Sam helped shape the sonic identity of the gaming brand’s latest campaign, a high-energy, fantasy-driven piece created with adam&eve. With only a couple of trademark effects locked in from the start, the brief gave him rare creative freedom and an open invitation to build something cinematic, textural and entirely immersive.

For Sam, that meant watching the cut in silence, letting instinct take over and building an atmosphere that could hold everything from slimy tentacles to sweeping crescendos. Unlike commercials which tend to be grounded in the real-world, the gaming world has given him licence to play with a much wider toolbox, from synthy creature bursts to exaggerated movement, elevating what players see on screen.

Sam talks to LBB about crafting a world from sound alone, collaborating closely with PlayStation, and why clarity with a touch of the fantastical makes for the strongest mixes.

LBB> You’ve just wrapped sound design on the new PlayStation project. What was the brief for this job, how did you approach and what sort of ambience did you want to create?

Sam> I’m a gamer, and I actually play some of the titles featured in the spot, so I was already familiar with the aesthetic and the feel of those worlds. Designing a game trailer has been a dream job on my list for years, so when this came through, I couldn’t wait to get stuck in.

The brief was actually pretty loose, which is my favourite kind. They sent over a still with a rough VO and a couple of trademark effects to include, like the Wolverine claws, which had to stay in. But beyond that, I had total free rein.

My approach is always to watch the cut a few times in silence. Straight away you start hearing things in your head. With this one, it’s such a fantastical world that nothing feels off-limits. You can go big, slimy, textural, whatever the scene suggests. I build the atmosphere first, then layer in the key movements so the world feels rich but still clear. The music and ambience helped shape the overall build, so you get that proper crescendo as everything comes together.

LBB> How does your approach to sound design for gaming trailers differ from how you’d tackle it in a commercial or film brief?

Sam> It’s way more liberating. With commercials (like a Fairy washing-up ad) you’re locked into a real, familiar world. The palette is basically household sounds. But with gaming trailers, you can pull from your entire toolbox. It’s more cinematic, more textural, more tension-driven.

People already know the world isn’t 'real,' so you can push the sound design much further. A crazy synth or an exaggerated creature movement heightens the fantasy. That freedom is what I love.

LBB> At what stage were you brought onto the project, and how much did you collaborate directly with the PlayStation team and the agency?

Sam> I was brought in right from the get-go, starting with the voice record. At first there was some uncertainty about whether they even wanted sound design; it’s not always a big feature in their work. I suggested it would add a lot, and luckily they trusted me. From there it grew into a huge project over a few months.

We worked closely with the PlayStation team and adam&eve throughout, shaping the sonic world as the edit developed. That early involvement meant we could really craft the atmosphere rather than react to something already locked.

LBB> You’re part of The Attic, Jungle’s sister company, offering more flexible or lower-budget sound options. What does that look like in practice, and how does it influence the projects you take on and the creative freedom you have?

Sam> The Attic is essentially our more accessible setup. We’ve got two smaller studios geared towards clients who don’t have the budget for Jungle’s main spaces. It opens the door to internet work, promo pieces, and jobs that wouldn’t usually meet full rate card.

Because of that, the variety is huge. One day it’s a voice record, the next it’s an audiobook, and then something like this PlayStation promo comes through, which can end up growing into something much bigger. That variety actually gives you a lot of creative freedom; you’re constantly using different muscles and trying different approaches.

LBB> Across your work – from commercials to gaming – what do you think makes a strong piece of sound design?

Sam> Clarity. You can stack layer upon layer, but if the key moments get muddy, it loses impact. For me, it’s about building a rich atmosphere while making sure the anchor of the scene – whether it’s a creature movement or a tiny detail, cuts through clearly.

And there’s definitely personality in sound design. We once gave the same brief to a bunch of engineers and every version sounded completely different. If I had to describe mine, I’d say it’s exciting and fantastical. I just love using anything and everything to bring a world to life.