Remembering Martyn Brown: A Legacy of Innovation in Gaming at 57

The video game industry mourns the passing of Martyn Brown, who has died at the age of 57.

With over 35 years of experience in video games, he is best known for co-founding Team17 in 1990. During his tenure at the publisher and developer, Brown played a pivotal role in creating, designing, and producing over 50 video games, including the iconic Worms and Alien Breed franchises.

After leaving Team17, Brown established the consultancy Insight For Rent and provided support to studios like Double Eleven, Exient, and New Individual Games. In 2012, he also contributed to the launch of Activision’s mobile studio, The Blast Furnace, in Leeds.

In addition to his work with various studios, he became a prominent member of the North of England networking group Game Republic, which he helped found in 2003.

He is survived by his children, Jack, Harry, and step-daughter Darcy, along with his partner, Heather.

“Martyn passed away peacefully in his sleep at 8:17 a.m. on December 28, 2024, surrounded by family after a long struggle with a series of strokes,” Jack Brown shared. “He departed on his own terms, enjoying his favorite music and surrounded by loved ones.”

A number of tributes have been shared by industry friends and colleagues over the past two days.

“Martyn was an incredibly warm and humorous person,” wrote Game Republic MD Jamie Sefton in an interview with GamesIndustry.biz.

“He was the first to welcome me into Game Republic, which he co-founded in 2003, and was always generous with his guidance, advice, and connections. We bonded over our love for arcade machines and Leeds United football club, sharing many matches together. Just a few weeks ago, we honored Martyn with our GR Games Legend award, which he was thrilled to receive. Martyn was a legend in Yorkshire and in the industry, not only for Team17 but for his incredible support to many developers and individuals in gaming. Rest in peace, my friend.”

In an emotional tribute, industry consultant, CTO, and chair of BAME in Games Kish Hirani reflected: “I first met Martyn at his Team17 office when my engineers and I (from PlayStation Dev Companies) visited during the development of Worms 2 Armageddon for PS3 in 2008. My engineers collaborated closely with the team while I spent time with Martyn in his office, assessing the ‘emotional intelligence’ of the group, as I often did with visiting studios.

“We connected so well, unaware that this would flourish into a friendship akin to family. He made my role at PlayStation easier due to his extensive network, especially in the indie scene. If developers needed help or connections at PlayStation, he would gladly share my details for direct contact, which benefited us all, as connecting with PlayStation could often feel intimidating, but contact and collaboration are always beneficial.

“Our bond grew even stronger after I was made redundant at PlayStation and secured a secret VR project with Porsche in 2016. Since it was a remote project and my only communication was with Porsche HQ in Stuttgart, I needed someone to talk to ‘out loud.’ I would often stay over at his place and attend the annual team trips to Galway for his January birthday. He would have turned 58 next month.

“I’ve never been much of a drinker, and I never will be. He would understand this and still find ways to have fun with me. At one EGX party, when he asked what I’d like to drink, I replied, ‘Just a glass of red, please.’ He returned with a pint of beer for himself and a large British pint glass filled with red wine for me. It took me the entire evening, but I did manage to finish it.”

He continued: “I gained quite a bit of reflected fame (and some infamy) by association with Martyn. I began to expect random industry acquaintances approaching me because of him; he was a natural connector. For instance, at the Nordic Game party during GDC in San Francisco a few years ago, Rico Holmes came up and gave me a kiss on the cheek, saying three words I now wear as a badge of honor: ‘Martyn Brown’s friend!’

“I will deeply miss you, my dearest friend, my brother from another mother. Rest in peace.”

Cooperative Innovations CEO Simon Barratt noted that he became close friends with Martyn Brown over the last 19 years, stating that he is the individual the industry will miss the most.

“We shared incredible moments during our Galway trips (an annual pilgrimage for his birthday), enjoyed games of Perudo, experienced houseboats in Sausalito, commandeered people’s phones, and attended Hull vs Leeds matches…