Game developer and Psygnosis co-founder Ian Hetherington has passed away. Hetherington was a longtime presence in the game industry, having helped bring games like Lemmings, Wipeout, and many more to life across his career.
News of his passing was shared on social media as fellow game developers recalled his legacy and influence on both the wider industry and their own careers.
“Ian Hetherington… the man who kickstarted my career in games, and always had faith in my abilities, has sadly passed away,” shared composer Tim Wright on Twitter. “I’ll always be hugely grateful. My sincere and heartfelt condolences to his family.”
Hetherington, alongside Jonathan Ellis and David Lawson, co-founded game publisher and developer Psygnosis in 1984. The studio created a bevvy of games for the Amiga, Atari ST, and home computers. Following its acquisition by Sony in 1993, that focus shifted largely to working on games for the original PlayStation by the mid and late ’90s.
In the years following he departure from Psygnosis, Hetherington co-founded World Rally Championship and Driveclub developer Evolution Studios alongside Martin Kenwright and served as chairman of Crackdown developer Realtime Worlds.