Jake Kaufman becomes freelance composer and game designer

Jake Kaufman announced in a heartfelt post today that he left his current employer WayForward Technologies in order to pursue work as a freelancer.

Since 2010, Jake Kaufman has been responsible for all things audio at WayForward Technologies, among them his incredible scores for the Mighty, Adventure Time, and Shantae franchises, as well as their revivals of DuckTales, BloodRayne, and Double Dragon. Between these works, Kaufman has continued to juggle independent roles such as creating the Shovel Knight soundtrack, composing the FX4 album, and creating all sorts of remixes.

Though he did an incredible job, Kaufman feared his self-imposed workload and the stressful crunch times would start to take a toll on him. As a result, he has decided to leave behind WayForward in order to focus on his own activities. He now wants to focus more on a 9 to 6, Monday to Friday job and will ask for help among his talented friends if his assignments become overwhelming.

Kaufman notes that “I HAVEN’T burnt out. If anything, my passion for making games is stronger than ever. My heart still races and I pace back and forth when I think about that next cool assignment, that next childhood dream we get to make real. That next rock opera we get to stuff into a credits sequence. So I’m going to run with it, and keep the beats flowing as long as people keep hiring me.” He continues, “But I want to diversify what I do creatively, while paying attention to being a dependable friend and husband and hobbyist and moviegoer and dog park patron.”

The artist already promises an exciting 2015. In addition to finishing off his current and upcoming projects with WayForward, including Shantae: Half-Genie Hero, he will be involved in all sorts of independent projects. Most excitingly, he is about to enter the indie games industry as a programmer and designer, and is preparing to launch a Kickstarter campaign for his own original project. If you’re keen on supporting him, check out his Patreon page.

Posted on November 1, 2014 by Chris Greening. Last modified on November 1, 2014.

Tags: Jake Kaufman, Shantae, WayForward

About the Author

Chris Greening I've contributed to websites related to game audio since 2002. In this time, I've reviewed over a thousand albums and interviewed hundreds of musicians across the world. As the founder and webmaster of VGMO -Video Game Music Online-, I hope to create a cutting-edge, journalistic resource for all those soundtrack enthusiasts out there. In the process, I would love to further cultivate my passion for music, writing, and generally building things. Please enjoy the site and don't hesitate to say hello!