Stewart Gilray, founder and CEO of UK studio Just Add Water, has passed away.

Since being established by Gilray in 2006, Just Add Water has worked on notable projects including I Am Bread, Volume, Sniper Elite VR, and Toy Soldiers HD. The Leeds-based studio also developed multiple entries in the Oddworld franchise, including the well received Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee remake Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty.

Tributes to Gilray, who was hospitalized with Covid-19 in December last year, have been pouring in on social media. Friends and colleagues paid tribute to the industry leader, with Just Add Water programmer Joseph Barber describing him as a "fantastic boss and an even better friend."

"Stewart Gilray was a good bloke and mentor, and I was glad when we finally got the chance to work together on Volume: Coda," wrote Thomas Was Alone developer Mike Bithell.

"It's hard to believe he's gone. Stewart Gilray was a good friend and always there whenever anyone needed him, including me. He was one of the good ones. I'm grateful for our friendship and thinking of his wife Bec, kids and many friends he's left behind," said id Software co-founder John Romero.

Prior to founding Just Add Water, Gilray worked as a development director at Binary9 Studios and served as a producer at companies including Runecraft, Grolier Interactive, and 21st Century Entertainment.