George Mawle, one of the gameplay engineers behind the iconic God of War axe throw mechanic, has passed away.
The news was shared on social media by those who knew him, sparking an outpouring of tributes from friends and colleagues, including God of War director Cory Barlog, who described Mawle as an "amazingly funny, smart and warm human being."
"He was one of the fathers of the Leviathan feel. Without his curiosity and intellect those moments of pure joy recalling the axe would never have existed. Absolutely breaks my heart that he is gone," said Barlog.
Santa Monica Studio combat design lead Mihir Sheth also honored Mawle, explaining how many of God of War's memorable flourishes were only made possible due to his "engineering and energy."
"At Santa Monica Studio he worked on Kratos' weaponry, navigation, RPG systems, a myriad of combat behaviors, improvements to the scripting system to empower designers, and so much more. He was a veteran on the team who played a huge role in closing out the game and squashing bugs," they tweeted.
"Some of us named him 'Furious George' because once he was set on an idea he couldn't be stopped. He was crazy enough to challenge what everyone believed -- ie: he pursued a physics degree in college in an attempt to disprove the theory of relativity... and was not ashamed of it.
"He left Santa Monica Studio many months ago, but his jovial and very English voice and spirit had filled the studio since his joining in late 2013. During his time with us he won the hearts of the design team by sharing a passion for 'the new' and pushing what was possible."