Music magazine Mojo recently featured a retrospective on Omikron: The Nomad Soul, the 1999 video game notable for its collaboration with David Bowie. Initially aiming to license some of his classic tracks, Bowie opted to star as Boz and co-write twelve original songs for the game’s soundtrack, some later featured on his album Hours.

Despite its cool premise, many feel the game itself was average, with Bowie’s involvement adding a layer of ambition. Phil Campbell, Omikron’s senior designer, reminisced about how Bowie joined the project, initially to discuss licensing his music but then captivated by the game’s visionary ideas.

“[David] Cage’s list of bands went Björk, Radiohead, Future Sound Of London, Garbage… I threw Bowie on there because I’d been in the fan club since I was 11: And I knew he would complement the world we were creating,” shared Campbell.

Bowie not only contributed songs but spent time with the developers, using methods like the ‘cut-up’ technique to write lyrics. Eventually, his digital presence became key, appearing as a character in the game. “He was super-super on-board. We put him through the indignity of having dots stuck all over his face for the motion capture,” Campbell added.

In a fascinating reflection of the game’s themes, Bowie even pondered whether he could “leave his Bowie persona in Omikron”. Although the game sold reasonably in Europe, it didn’t garner significant attention in the U.S. Campbell noted, “Something about it didn’t gel enough for people even to try it. I think David was a bit pissed off.” Ultimately, Omikron had a measurable influence on Bowie, contributing to his 1999 album Hours and feeding his interest in new technologies.

The duo even toyed with the idea of acquiring old satellites to relaunch Ziggy Stardust from space, with Bowie intending to transmit messages. Such dreams reflected Bowie’s ongoing desire to blend art with innovation, a desire seldom matched in the gaming industry.