Richard Baker; An Obituary

Richard Baker, chief European marketing executive of chip manufacturer AMD, passed away on 29 May, 2011. He had been suffering from a brain tumour.

Not only was Richard widely respected as a man with a passion for his business, he was a guy with a good heart and a robust sense of humour.

He was also an inspiration to the nascent Eurogamer network. Eurogamer was still a twinkle in the eye for founding brothers Rupert and Nick Loman, when they first met Richard back in 1999.

Said Eurogamer MD Rupert Loman: "As 14 and 18 year old brothers with a passion for gaming but no business experience, it was difficult to get taken seriously when we were starting out. We called as many games companies as we could think of to try and get some help - without much luck. And when we contacted Richard we didn't expect any kind of response.

"But what we found was someone who listened to us and took an interest in our story. The early support he gave us for our LAN parties set us on our way and later led to the formation of Eurogamer in 1999.

"Richard continued to take an interest and help us however he could over the following years. His help and support, his kindness - and foresightedness will never be forgotten. It is so sad that such a generous, well-liked and down-to-earth man is no longer with us. He will be missed."

Richard leaves Nicky his wife, a son Tom and daughter Phoebe. Richard's funeral will be held this Friday, June 10.