Days Gone studio co-founder Michael Berlyn has died

Michael Berlyn, the co-founder of Bend Studio and the creator of the Bubsy series, has passed away at the age of 73.

When Berlyn co-founded Bend, it was first called Blank, Berlin & Co (which was also known as Eidetic). As PC Gamer reports, Berlyn left the studio during the production of Syphon Filter, after the release of Bubsy 3D. However, the studio went on to produce numerous hit titles including the entire Syphon Filter series and the 2019 action-adventure title Days Gone.

“We are deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Mike Berlyn, co-founder of Blank, Berlyn and Co., which later became Bend Studio,” Bend Studio wrote in a statement posted to Twitter. “Mike was an extraordinary individual whose passion for storytelling and creating unique and engaging play experiences in video games over his career was a pivotal element in helping pioneer the foundation of our studio today. Rest in peace, Mike.”

Game developers on Twitter have been paying tribute to Berlyn. The writer and director of Days Gone, John Garvin, wrote: “Sad to hear that Mike Berlyn passed away today. He was a video game pioneer and cofounded what would become Bend Studio. He was always a kick in the pants, funny, thoughtful, intelligent, and a great human being. Rest in peace Mike.”

George Broussard, the creator of games publisher 3D Realms, tweeted: “RIP Michael Berlyn. Mike's early 80s work on Infocom adventure games was amazing and inspiring to me as a young would be game developer. He worked on quite a few games after Infocom and helped pioneer PC gaming.”

Gamers have been sharing their condolences, too: “Very sad to hear this news. May he rest in peace,” @ScootaDade tweeted. “Mike will be forever remembered through Bend Studios and the magnificent experiences you guys have created,” wrote @MCOX2210.

Here at GAMINGbible, our thoughts go our to Berlyn’s friends and family at this difficult time. May he rest in peace.