Tommy Tallarico (born 1967 or 1968)[1] is an American video game music composer, sound designer, and television producer.

Later in 2022, a video essay by British YouTuber Harry "Hbomberguy" Brewis documented an investigation into many disputed high-profile claims that Tallarico had made concerning his career, including his alleged involvement in creating the "oof" sound.

[5] According to the Los Angeles Times, Tallarico moved to Southern California in 1991 to try and obtain a job in the video game industry.

"The main focus of writing video game music back then was it had to be simple and have a great melody," Tallarico said.

[5] Tallarico worked on a number of other games while at Virgin Interactive, including the Sega CD version of The Terminator.

[12][13] The sound effect was subsequently used in Roblox from 2006 to 2020, played after a character died in-game, and became an iconic part of the game after its adoption by meme culture.

As with Video Games Live, Electronic Opus presents EDM music alongside a symphony orchestra.

[31][32] In 2024, Tallarico was accused of selling music arrangements from Video Games Live concerts that he did not own the rights to.

[41] In February 2022, Tallarico stepped down from his role as CEO of Intellivision, remaining on board as the company's president and largest shareholder.

), a non-profit to recognize achievements in video game music and audio,[44] and served as its CEO and chairman of the board.

[46] In November 2022, British YouTuber Harry "Hbomberguy" Brewis published a video essay which documented many of the high-profile claims that Tallarico had made concerning his career—including the number of video games he worked on, the number of Guinness World Records he earned, being the creator of the "oof" sound effect in his Roblox legal dispute, and being the first American to work on the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise—and concluded many were either exaggerations or knowingly false.

[12][47][48] Tallarico is vegan, and advocates for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, including donating music for the PETA browser game Super Tofu Boy in 2010.

[50][51][52] According to the LA Times, his home in San Juan Capistrano "looks as if a 12-year-old with a huge bank account went wild", including a life-size Indiana Jones, several Star Wars characters, and a statue of Merlin.

[12][47][54][55] In February 2024, he listed it for sale for $2,999,000;[56] in October of the same year, real estate broker Redfin marked the house as having been sold.