Spotlight on: Stafford Bawler | Side One. Seasoned audio designer Stafford Bawler has been exploring the world of sound for over 17 years, lending his talents to more than 60 published titles including the likes of Colin McRae: Dirt, Forza Motorsport 3, 4 and 5, and Sonic and Sega All-stars Racing Transformed. Indeed, starting out in the late 90s as Silicon Dreams’ in-house sound guy, Bawler went on to work for Codemasters and The Audio Guys, an audio outsourcing firm set up by former colleagues, before leaving to forge his own path as a freelance designer.
Abandoning the comfort and security of a paid gig for the excitement and freedom offered by freelance work is a dangerous decision, but Bawler seized the opportunity with both hands, quickly finding himself under contract at a little studio called ustwo – you might’ve heard of them. Hypnotised, like the rest of the world, by Bawler’s elegant work, we recently sat down with the man himself to find out where it all began. Back to the future “As a kid I loved computer games.