Team17 co-founder Martyn Brown dies aged 57

Games industry veteran Martyn Brown has died aged 57.

He spent more than 35 years working in video games and is best known for his time at Team17, which he co-founded in 1990. During his time at the publisher and developer, Brown helped direct, produce and create more than 50 video games, including the iconic Worms and Alien Breed series.

In the years since Team17, Brown formed consultancy group Insight For Hire, and has supported studios including Double Eleven, Exient and New Star Games. He also helped set-up Activision's mobile studio The Blast Furnace in Leeds in 2012.

Outside of working with studios directly, he was an influential figure in forming the North of England networking group Game Republic in 2003.

He is survived by his children Jack, Harry and step-daughter Darcy, and wife Heather.

"Martyn passed away peacefully in his sleep at 8:17am, 28th of December, 2024 surrounded by family, following a prolonged battle with a series of strokes," Jack Brown wrote. "Know that he went out on his own terms listening to his favourite music and surrounded by loved ones."

Numerous tributes have been posted by industry friends and colleagues over the past two days.

"Martyn was such a friendly, funny person," wrote Game Republic MD Jamie Sefton and shared with GamesIndustry.biz.

"He was the first to welcome me into Game Republic - which he co-founded in 2003 - and was so generous with his help, advice and contacts. We shared a love of arcade machines and also Leeds United football club and watched many matches together. We gave Martyn our GR Games Legend award just a few weeks ago and he was so pleased to receive it. Martyn was a Yorkshire and industry legend not just for Team17 but also for his incredible support and help for many more developers and people in games. RIP my friend.”

In an emotional tribute, games industry consultant, CTO and BAME in Games Chair Kish Hirani wrote: "I first properly met Martyn at his Team17 office when my engineers and I (PlayStation Dev Services) visited his studio. It was back in 2008, when Worms 2 Armageddon was being developed for PS3. My engineers spent the time with the team and I sat with Martyn in his office, gauging the culture ‘emotional intelligence’ of the team, as I always did with the studios we visited.

"We just got along so extremely well and little did we know that this would become a friendship as close as family. He made my PlayStation role easier as he was extremely well connected, especially in the indie space. If devs needed help or connections at PlayStation, he would always share my details for direct contact, which helped us all, since approaching PlayStation could otherwise seem daunting but contact and collaboration are always a good thing.

"We got a lot closer after I was made redundant at PlayStation and got a top secret VR project with Porsche in 2016. As it was a remote project and my only direct communication was with the Porsche HQ in Stuttgart, I needed someone to talk with ‘out loud’. I used to go stay at his place and do the annual group trips to Galway for his birthday in Jan. He would have been 58 next month.

"I never was a big drinker and never will be. He would respect that and still find opportunities to mess around with me. One EGX party he asked me what I would like to drink and I said, 'Just a glass of red please'. He came back with a pint of beer for himself and a full British pint glass of red wine for me. It took me the whole evening but I did finish it."

He added: "I got a lot of the reflected fame (and a good dose of infamy) by association with Martyn. I came to expect random industry people approaching me because of Martyn, he was a natural people connector. Like at the Nordic Game party in San Francisco, GDC a few years back, when Rico Homles came and just kissed me on my cheek and uttered three words that I take as a badge of honour: "Martyn Brown’s friend!"

"I am going to so miss you my dearest friend, my brother from another mother. RIP."

Cooperative Innovations CEO Simon Barratt said that he'd become close friends with Martyn Brown over the past 19 years, and that it's the person the industry will miss the most.

"We had some amazing moments on Galway trips (an annual pilgrimage for his birthday), Perudo games, houseboats in Sausalito, commandeering people’s phones and trips to Hull vs Leeds matches... Martyn brought humour, warmth, down to earth (sometimes brutal) advice and camaraderie wherever he went. Martyn’s impact through Team17, Insight For Hire, Blast Furnace, and New Star Games, as well as his contribution to Game Republic, is legendary but it’s the person that really made life just that bit more fun."

"He was a real people’s person and well liked by all, whether apprentice or seasoned veteran"

Video game lawyer Tommy Persson shared a tribute on Facebook after frequently meeting with Brown at various video game events. "So funny, so generous, always the light of a party, always mischievous," he wrote. "The video game conferences around the world will be much less entertaining and fun without you."

Former video games PR leader and leadership coach Caroline Stokes agreed: "Martyn cared. And as we all know, he was so much fun," she wrote.

"Last time we talked, before the pandemic in San Francisco (at a bar), he shared some concerns about the industry and out of the blue, like a man that 'could see through things', he said some very nice things about what I did for, and with, people in the industry and that my path was a good one and to keep going.

"He's the only person I've met in my life other than my grandmother that could speak soul to soul. Northern soul. I felt blessed to have had that conversation."

Business development veteran Chris Buckley said that, after he had immigrated to Canada, Brown would frequently message him when he flew over where he'd move to.

"I met Martyn in 2000 and then saw him around every show somewhere in the world for the next 20 years. Such sad news, thanks for always being you, being a friend and, well, the industry has lost a legend."

There are numerous stories of Brown's unsolicited support and encouragement. Robert Troughton, a games leader from Pitbull Studios, Coconut Lizard, Epic Games and more, remembers meeting him in a pub in London during the early days of forming Pitbull Studios.

"Martyn offered me some excellent advice, and it really helped a lot in those early days," he explained.

"He was always, always happy to help with advice, introductions, and was just so easy to talk to, no matter who you were. A real people’s person and well liked by all, whether apprentice or seasoned veteran. I remember at Develop in Brighton, he was super excited to get a photo with Notch, who’d really only just hit the big time with Minecraft.. and I’m saying “but… you’re Martyn Brown. He should be asking for your picture! Amazing guy. A huge, huge loss for the UK game industry"

Industry veteran Kirsty Payne recalled one controversial incident: "He had a huge sense of fun, he was extremely mischievous, totally fun loving but also kind, thoughtful and he always cared for his friends and kept in touch with everyone.

"When he visited… he brought me the best pork pies/scotch eggs and the only crossed words we ever had over the years, was about #HandbagGate when he hid a plate full of fish goujons in my handbag at The London Games Festival launch party… I opened my bag in a meeting the following day to the most godawful stench and my handbag was ruined. I find it hilarious now but I didn’t find it very funny at the time.

"Needless to say that lovely Martyn sent me a beautiful new leather handbag by way of an apology… I shall dig out that handbag he bought me around 20 years ago, and I’ll cherish it even more now. Farewell you lovely, lovely man."

Riot Games' EMEA senior director of publishin Hannes Seifert said it was a huge honour to have known Martyn Brown over 28 years.

"I am glad that our paths crossed many times and it was always a joy. May you rest in peace. The light of our generation of developers is slowly but steadily dimming. Yours was one of the brightest. You will be dearly missed.

More tributes to follow.