David Bowie Becomes a Video Game Character: The Story Behind Omikron: The Nomad Soul

David Bowie’s artistic evolution throughout the 1990s was marked by a fascination with technology, digital culture, and experimentation. This era of his career culminated in an unexpected venture—stepping into the virtual world of Omikron: The Nomad Soul, a groundbreaking video game that blended cyberpunk aesthetics with open-world mechanics. What began as a simple music licensing discussion quickly transformed into a deeper creative collaboration, leading to Bowie not only composing original music but also playing a pivotal role within the game’s universe.

A Chance Encounter Leads to a Cyberpunk Collaboration

Initially, Omikron: The Nomad Soul’s creator, French game designer David Cage, had no plans to involve Bowie in the project. His wishlist of musicians for the game’s soundtrack included artists such as Björk, Radiohead, Future Sound of London, and Garbage. However, Phil Campbell, the game’s Senior Designer and a lifelong Bowie fan, decided to include the rock legend’s name among the contenders, believing that his experimental style would align perfectly with Omikron’s dystopian setting.

In 1998, Quantic Dream, the studio behind the game, partnered with Eidos, the creators of Tomb Raider, to develop one of the first truly open-world video games. Set in a dark, oppressive futuristic city ruled by enigmatic demons, Omikron allowed players to inhabit different souls, navigating an intricately woven narrative filled with mystery and rebellion. The game’s themes of identity, control, and awakening resonated deeply with Bowie.

From Licensing Music to Full Creative Immersion

When Cage and Campbell initially met with Bowie, their intent was merely to license some of his existing music for the game. However, Bowie became captivated by the project’s vision and philosophical underpinnings. He was particularly intrigued by the game’s exploration of oppression and self-discovery, as well as the striking visuals developed by art director Loïc Normand.

At their next meeting, Bowie brought along his wife, Iman, and his son, Joe (known publicly as Duncan Jones). Soon after, he invited longtime collaborator and guitarist Reeves Gabrels into the fold. Instead of simply approving the use of his old songs, Bowie made an unexpected offer—he wanted to compose entirely new music for the game.

For two weeks, Bowie immersed himself in the Omikron creative process, working alongside the development team in a Paris apartment. He chain-smoked throughout their discussions, often using his digital cut-up technique—an evolution of the William Burroughs-inspired method he had previously applied manually—to generate lyrics. This dedication and creative energy led to the birth of an in-game rock band, The Dreamers, based on Bowie, Gabrels, and bassist Gail Ann Dorsey.

Bowie’s Presence in the Digital World

Within Omikron, players could stumble upon secret performances by The Dreamers, featuring three Bowie-composed tracks: Seven, Survive, and The Pretty Things Are Going to Hell. Gabrels’ virtual representation was a surreal, half-human, half-guitar hybrid, while Bowie’s in-game persona was a young, masked figure evocative of his past identities.

But Bowie’s involvement didn’t stop with the music. His wife, Iman, also appeared as a playable character, and Bowie himself took on the role of Boz, a holographic resistance leader guiding players in their fight against the game’s authoritarian rulers. The game’s developers even put him through the rigorous process of motion capture, a first for Bowie, requiring him to wear a suit covered in tracking dots.

The Almost-Permanent Digital Rebirth of David Jones

One of the most astonishing moments in Bowie’s involvement with Omikron came when he proposed the idea of permanently leaving behind his famous persona.

“One day, David asked if he could leave his Bowie persona in Omikron and emerge in the real world as David Jones,” recalled Phil Campbell. “It was a deliciously strange thought—did he crave anonymity? The idea fit perfectly within the game’s themes: Omikron was a giant trap, a place where one could lose their soul forever.”

Had Bowie gone through with this idea, it would have been a marketing sensation and a surreal new chapter in his ever-evolving artistic journey. However, Omikron did not achieve the mainstream success needed to support such a radical reinvention.

The Legacy of Omikron: The Nomad Soul

Though innovative and ambitious, Omikron: The Nomad Soul was not a major commercial hit. It sold approximately 600,000 copies, with the majority of those sales occurring in Europe. Despite Bowie’s promotional efforts—including appearances on The Late Show with David Letterman—the game failed to gain traction in the U.S. market. Campbell noted that while Bowie was enthusiastic about the project, he was ultimately disappointed by its lack of widespread recognition.

Despite this, Omikron’s music found a second life. Bowie repurposed some of the game’s tracks for his 1999 album Hours, with New Angels of Promise serving as the game’s unofficial theme song. The album’s cover art, depicting a goateed Bowie cradling a younger version of himself, echoed Omikron’s themes of reincarnation and transformation.

Bowie and Campbell continued to exchange creative ideas long after the game’s release. At one point, they even discussed a concept involving a network of abandoned satellites broadcasting a revival of Ziggy Stardust from space. “The idea was that Ziggy would send transmissions to Earth—‘Are you receiving me?’” Campbell reminisced.

A Posthumous Tribute

Following Bowie’s passing on January 10, 2016, Omikron: The Nomad Soul was made available for free as a tribute to his contribution. While modern gaming technology has rendered it somewhat difficult to play today, the game retains a cult following, and fans still reach out to Campbell expressing hopes for a sequel.

Bowie’s involvement in Omikron remains one of the most unique intersections of music and gaming history. Ever the visionary, he embraced the medium not just as a promotional tool but as an opportunity to push artistic boundaries. Omikron may not have been the biggest game of its era, but it was undoubtedly one of the most ambitious—making it the perfect project for an artist who always sought to redefine the limits of creativity.