Bluepoint Games announced that its co-founder, Andy O'Neil, passed away on June 10th, aged 47, at his home in Austin, Texas.

His contributions to the games industry will surely not be forgotten, he worked on Metroid Prime, its sequels and is the man responsible for making Samus' precise morphball movements work in 3D.

He originally hailed from Birmingham in the UK, however he relocated to Austin, Texas during the 90's so that he could work for Acclaim, where his credits include many of the titles in the Turok series.

It was in 2006 that he'd then go on to form Bluepoint Games after departing from Retro Studios, the studio at Bluepoint which he co-founded is a very talented studio reponsible for the ports of many titles including Uncharted, God of War and Metal Gear solid, all of which were converted from the PS2 to PS3, plus the very recent conversion of Shadow of the Colossus which was ported from the PS2 to PS4.

All of the aforementioned titles he worked on were of exceptional quality and it's fair to say that Andy has made a monumental impact on the gaming landscape over the years spanning multiple platforms and console generations.

Bluepoint have posted the following statement on their Facebook page...

We are sad to announce the passing of one of our founders, Andy O’Neil. 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.

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.

For the past 20 years, Andy called Austin his home. Always embraced the local lifestyle. Live music was a big part of him whether attending music festivals or playing his bass guitar for friends at home or around town. He loved the outdoors riding his mountain bike on the nature trails. He was always up for a great martini and enjoyed being with friends and making new ones.

Andy’s contributions to the gaming industry will never be forgotten. We are saddened by his passing, but grateful he will forever be a part of our lives.

There is a Dignity Memorial page for anyone who wishes to pass on their condolonces or even learn more about Andy O'Neil and what he meant to everyone.

From everyone here at N-Europe, we'd like to pass on our thoughts to Andy's family and friends at this sad time.