Mark Choi

(He/Him)

Mark’s breakthrough project is the game Empire of the Ants.

The value of connection is not lost on composer and lifelong gamer Mark Choi, after all, that is how he got his start in the games industry. A classically trained pianist from the Royal Academy of Music, Mark initially eschewed a career as a concert soloist in favour of working in the computing and technology space. There, he convinced his games-loving colleagues into making their own game, jokingly admitting that his ulterior motive was so he could do the music.

At the same time, Mark was attending such games expos as EGX and WASD, immersing himself in the world and steadily building up a friendship group of game industry professionals over many years. These connections eventually provided the impetus to leave the tech world behind and fully embrace composing for games, leading to his evocative score to breakthrough project, Empire of the Ants (2024), which earned him an Ivor Novello nomination. A member of BAFTA Connect, Mark is also resident composer of Anglo-Japanese theatre company, Whole Hog Theatre, which adapts anime for the stage, and has recently formed his own video game chamber music quintet, Sonaris Ensemble.

In their own words…

“BAFTA Breakthrough is a way for me to meet more likeminded creatives doing really cool things. It’s all about who I can collaborate with to tell an amazing story. I think games is a natural spot for me, but I’d like to build out my network… We do what we do because we love it. It’s not for accolades or recognition. As creatives, we have so much doubt about ourselves, so when something like this happens it’s nice to have that validation you’re doing meaningful work and impacting people.”