Former Iguana Entertainment art director and founding member Matt Stubbington passed away Saturday, January 22 in Cedar Park, Texas. He was 39.
Stubbington got his start in the industry at the age of 13 by tinkering with graphics on his Commodore 64 from his home in Bristol, England, according to a biography on his web site. His graphics work appeared in many published computer titles in the late '80s, including the Amiga versions of
Afterburner and its sequel.
In 1992, Stubbington moved to California to become a founding member and art director for Iguana Entertainment, known for the
Turok,
NBA Jam and
NFL Quarterback Club series.
He stayed with the company through its move to Texas and rebranding as Acclaim Studios Austin in 1996, producing artwork and cover illustrations for a variety of projects, including
BMX XXX and the
Tony Hawk series.
In 2001, Stubbington went on to found Big Sesh Studios and, in 2006, established himself as a freelance artist, illustrator and consultant. During this period he produced artwork for game projects including
Unreal Championship,
Spyro the Dragon and
Auto Assault.
Stubbington's work also appeared on the covers of game magazines from
Next Generation and
Game Informer to
PSM and
PC Gamer.
"His genius has graced many games over the past 20 years," said former Iguana and Acclaim colleague John Nagle in an email to Gamasutra. "He was absolutely brilliant and an absolutely wonderful human being."
