Narayana Johnson, the Australian musician known professionally as River Boy, has died. Developer Massive Monster announced his death on April 3, 2025. Johnson was the studio’s audio director, composed and produced the Cult of the Lamb soundtrack, and voiced the game’s Followers.
What Massive Monster announced
Massive Monster shared the news through Cult of the Lamb’s social channels on April 3, 2025. The studio identified him as “Narayana Johnson, AKA River Boy” and asked for space and kindness as its team grieved. PC Gamer reported the announcement on April 4, 2025, reproducing the studio’s statement.
The announcement and the later memorial from APRA AMCOS do not state a cause of death. No cause has been publicly identified in those accounts, and there is no basis in them to speculate about the circumstances.
How Johnson shaped Cult of the Lamb
Johnson’s contribution reached beyond the score. The Massive Monster team said, “From the first note of music to the voice of every single Follower, Narayana is woven into the soul of Cult of the Lamb.” PC Gamer reports that Johnson voiced every Follower in the game.
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The game’s official Steam soundtrack page credits River Boy with composing and producing its music. Released on August 11, 2022, the soundtrack pairs lo-fi electronica with dark synth, as described by APRA AMCOS. Those sounds helped give the game’s unsettling world a distinct musical identity.
From Willow Beats to game audio
Before his work in games, Johnson was one half of the electronic duo Willow Beats. APRA AMCOS says Massive Monster director Julian Wilton, a fan of the duo, contacted Johnson through Twitter direct messages. Johnson later became the studio’s Director of Audio. APRA AMCOS describes him as an Australian composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist who also performed solo as River Boy.
His work was recognized with the Excellence in Music Award at the 2022 Australian Game Developer Awards and the first-ever Game Music Award at the 2023 World Soundtrack Awards, both for Cult of the Lamb, according to APRA AMCOS’s memorial. The organization also describes the soundtrack as having earned millions of streams; it does not give an exact count.
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In its statement, the Massive Monster team remembered Johnson as “more than our Audio Director” and called him “a creative powerhouse, he was a friend, and he was our silly little guy.” The words reflect the breadth of his role: his music and voice are both part of what players hear throughout Cult of the Lamb.
APRA AMCOS, the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Music Office, and the High Score games music community memorialized Johnson on May 2, 2025. Chris O’Neill, APRA AMCOS’s Director of Creative Programs, said Johnson was “High Score’s biggest supporter and a champion of the Australian games audio industry.” The memorial also notes that the soundtrack received a vinyl release. Steam lists the downloadable soundtrack; the cited information does not establish current vinyl stock or specific pressing details.
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