Guerrilla Games have announced that Patrick Munnik, lead producer on titles such as Horizon Zero Dawn and the Killzone series, has passed away at age 44, leaving behind his wife and children. Details of Munnik's passing have not been announced, though news of his death has triggered an outpouring of support from many members of the gaming community.

Guerrilla Games made the announcement on Thursday, June 13th, stating, "It is with great shock and sadness we inform you that our lead producer Patrick Munnik is no longer with us." The statement continues, "We are eternally grateful to have had our greatly valued and much loved Patrick on our team." Munnik had worked at Guerrilla since 2011, holding the title of Senior Producer the entire time he worked with the company. While the cause of his death has not yet been announced, it seems that it came suddenly, given his age and the nature of Guerrilla's statement.

Munnik's passing is heartbreaking, to say the least, though it has prompted a rare moment of unity among the gaming community, with many major industry icons and studios taking time to voice their support for Munnik's family and friends at Guerrilla. Munnik accomplished a lot during his time with Guerrilla, and Horizon Zero Dawn remains one of the best-reviewed games on the PS4. Munnik will be sorely missed and fondly remembered by the industry for the role he had in creating experiences that touched the hearts of so many different players.

The human cost of game development is often overlooked by many people. It takes teams of hundreds of developers working tirelessly, skipping birthdays and family events, to create the games that gamers play. Hopefully, Guerrilla will include some type of homage to Munnik in future entries of Horizon Zero Dawn, or whatever the studio is working on next, as a way to create a lasting legacy for the developer. Tributes such as that often find their ways into games, and Munnik is certainly worthy of such an honor.

Our hearts go out to Munnik's family and friends, as well as the entire team at Guerrilla Games and anyone else affected by this tragedy.

Source: Gameindustry.biz