Steven Coltart has seen three recent projects nominated for the national TIGA Games Industry Awards 2026, recognising his music work on the PlayStation 5 release SAROS, indie arcade game OUTBLAST, and VR release Thief.
SAROS has also won accolades at the Music + Sound Awards and received nominations at the Golden Joystick awards.
Born in Bury St Edmunds, Steven is currently a Senior Lecturer in Immersive Technology and Game Audio at West Suffolk College and University Studies at West Suffolk College.
Steven said: “It’s great to be nominated as part of these team projects. It’s not just a personal achievement, but something positive for the College and University, too. Our subjects are taught by industry experts, and these nominations demonstrate the standard of work we continue to deliver here. It’s a collective effort to put Bury St Edmunds on the map.”
Working on a major AAA title for PlayStation was a long-held ambition for Steven. To take on SAROS, he temporarily moved into a part-time teaching role, with the College supporting him throughout the process.
He said: “To work on a AAA project for PlayStation was always a dream of mine. When I worked on SAROS, I really appreciated the flexibility the College were able to give me to take up the opportunity.”
Steven’s journey into the industry began at West Suffolk College, where he was part of the first cohort to study BTEC Music Technology in 2000. The course sparked his career in audio, eventually bringing him full circle to share his expertise with the next generation of creative talent.
He said: “When the opportunity came up to re-join the College and focus on teaching here in Bury St Edmunds, it felt like a good fit. Now I have that mix of industry experience and the opportunity to help students build their own connections.”
Looking ahead, Steven hopes to continue balancing teaching with professional projects, ensuring his industry knowledge remains current while helping to develop opportunities for students.
He said: “I want to keep doing what I’m doing and working on industry projects alongside teaching. I’d be keen to do a PhD as well. One of the big reasons I came back to the College was to develop a game audio pathway that isn’t just for further education but goes all the way through to degree level. So that’s the next thing on the horizon.”
For anyone considering a career in game audio, Steven’s advice is to develop technical skills alongside creative ability: “Focus on the technical as much as the creative. That
will give you more options and help you communicate across the wider game team. Implement, code as well as compose.”
The awards will be announced in November, with a ceremony at the historic Plaisterers’ Hall in London.
