Veteran Technical Engineer and Bluepoint Games Co-Founder Andy O'Neil Passes Away

Published: June 18, 2019 2:54 PM /

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Andy O'Neil, a games veteran and technical engineer who has worked on several memorable titles over the past two decades, has passed away at the age of 47 of undisclosed causes.

A native of Birmingham, England, O'Neil has lived in the United States since the late 1990's in Austin, TX. His first jobs in the industry was for Acclaim Studios, working on the Turok franchise, specifically Rage Wars and Shadow of Oblivion. He later joined Retro Studios, where he was the technical lead on the first two Metroid Prime games. O'Neil is specifically credited for the Morph Ball movement for Samus, various weapon effects, and the split-screen multiplayer in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes. He would later serve as the principal engineer for Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, before leaving Retro studios in 2006.

After leaving Retro Studios, O'Neil would be one of the co-founders of Bluepoint Games, along with Marco Thrush. Their first title, Blast Factor, was a PlayStation 3 launch game, but later would lead Bluepoint on several remaster projects for Sony. These would include remasters of the God of War and Metal Gear Solid franchises for the PlayStation 3, and most recently, Shadow of the Colossus for the PlayStation 4. Bluepoint is a studio that when you saw their name on an upcoming remaster or remake that you could be assured that it would be of the highest quality.

"Andy was key in the formation of Bluepoint Games and his engineering prowess helped catapult a tiny two-person studio to where we are today," the studio said on their Facebook Page. "Andy, never afraid of a challenge, drove us to undertake difficult projects and exceed expectations. He would remind us that we do this work not because it is easy, but because it is hard. He always pushed Bluepoint to do great things and we will continue his legacy."

O'Neil is survived by his brother, Alistair, half-brother David, nieces Isobel and Lucy, and girlfriend Stephanie.

May you rest in peace, Andy O'Neil. Please leave your comments below. 

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More Info About This Game
Learn more about Shadow of the Colossus (PS4)
Platforms
PlayStation 4
Release Date
February 6, 2018 (Calendar)
Genre
Puzzle, Adventure
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