2020 has undoubtedly been an unusually hard year for mankind. Being forced to retreat behind doors and continue with all activities behind closed doors has had a toll on everyone around the world. The COVID-19 pandemic had affected the physical and mental well being of everyone working in the industry. Video games might have been the only getaway as people were forced to pass time inside their homes. Sadly, many of the folks that had helped make some of the video games we know and love might not be around to saviour the moment any more. Mike Andrew Nash, a veteran artist, and designer in the gaming industry and the lead principle designer for Horizon Zero Dawn, is no more with us.
Mike has worked within the industry for a long time, his best work being the designs for the mechs in Horizon Zero Dawn. Horizon Zero Dawn’s main attraction was the scenic beauty and the countless mecha-creatures that roam the land, possibly more peaceful than normal animals. He is also one who actively designed tutorials in design for budding new game developers who want the hottest games of the next generation someday. His ArtStation is a collection of some of his best works, other than the designs he had already made for Horizon. We ourselves think that the art design was one of the main drivers behind the many awards that the game had earned in the year of its release.
The entire CG and art community stands in solidarity with his contributions to gaming art. Gavriil Klimov, the creative director of Guerilla Games during Mike’s work on Horizon Zero Dawn, has officially released a few words of sorrow besides some never-before-seen artworks that Mike had produced during his lifetime. There have been some rumors that Mike was suffering from stress as of late, which might have resulted in his demise. Some rumors also speak about the stress resulting from overwork and possibly lower pay than his peers working in other departments. Overwork and low pay is a common issue in the gaming industry – as suggested by one of our previous articles – which does mean that there can be some merit to this arguments. As of now, however, these are only rumors and there hasn’t been any concrete proof to substantiate these claims.
Mike Nash was a hardworking individual who would put in the hours to get better and try to do the best work possible. Mike has sadly left us and has passed away.
I would like for the CG and art community to remember him for his legacy of outstanding visual 3D work above all. pic.twitter.com/BxSy7ZEH6o— HEXERACT (@hexeract01) January 21, 2021
Rest easy, mighty maker of designs and mechs. Your suffering is over.