In memory: Team17 co-founder Martyn Brown and other players who died in 2024.

Martyn Brown, the founder of Team17 and a sports legend of 35 years, has died aged 57.

Brown started Team17 with Debbie Bestwick and Michael Robinson in 1990.

Brown helped create over 50 video games including Worms and Alien Breed. He also created consultancy Insight For Hire and supported studios Double Eleven, Exient, The Blast Furnace and New Star Games, according to GamesIndustry.biz.

Other recent deaths include Martyn Brown (2024), Dan Van Elderen (2024), Masayuki Kato (2024), Matthew White (2023), Alex Cabal (2024), Joe Banks (2024), Thomas Kurtz (2024). and Christopher Vivet (2024), Manny Granillo (2024), Erin Fusco (2024), Dylan Mecham (2024), Greg Hildebrandt (2024), Mike Brennan (2024), Rupert Easterbrook (2024), Uwe Mathon (2024).

Don Daglow, a long-time gymnast, keeps a list of the dead in the sports industry at this link.

“Martyn passed away peacefully at 8:17am, December 28, 2024 surrounded by family, following a long battle,” wrote Jack Brown. “Know that he went alone to listen to his favorite music and surrounded by loved ones.”

Fellow gamers are leaving tributes to Brown on social media, including a Facebook page.

Kevin Dent wrote, “An amazing young man, he lived his life in high gear and brought us all along with him. There are very few people in the video game industry who are as sick as Martyn, everyone probably has a Martyn story and mine was good and often meets him in an obscure living room at a video game event somewhere in the world.”

Kish Hirani wrote on Facebook, “I’ve been processing these sad stories and I’m thinking what can I say about Martyn Brown? He had so much fun, he was so fierce, so loving, and so kind, thoughtful and always looking out for his friends and connecting with everyone!”
When he visited… he brought me the BEST pork eggs/eggs and the only word we’ve had in years was #HandbagGate when he hid a plate full of fish goujons in my bag at the launch party for The London Games Festival… The next day I opened my bag at the meeting because of the bad smell and my handbag was ruined!”

Hirani added, “I find it funny now but I didn’t find it funny at the time! Needless to say dear Martyn has sent me a beautiful new leather bag as an apology… I’ll dig out the bag he bought me 20 years ago, and I’ll love it even more now! We’re about to be loved, lovely man… you will no doubt be you’re partying, ordering lots of drinks, sleeping dogs and playing Perudo wherever you are!