Andy O’Neil, the Lead Engineer of Metroid Prime and Metroid Prime 2, and vice president and founder of Bluepoint Games, has passed away at the age of 47. Andy was born May 27, 1972 and passed on June 10, 2019 at his home in Austin, Texas. While we are saddened at the news of Andy’s passing, we are more than happy to share his fascinating experiences in life.
In his childhood, Andy was raised by his father from the age of 10 years and had no access to television in the home. He was however encouraged to pursue his interest in electronics and computing, and his first computer, a Sinclair Zx Spectrum, was received Christmas 1982.
In 1994 he graduated from the University of Birmingham as a Bachelor of Science with a focus on Physics with Electronics. In Austin he worked at Retro Studios where he worked in the capacity of lead programmer on Metroid Prime, and in 2006 he left to found Bluepoint Games along with Marco Thrush.
Andy’s outlook on life can be summed up in his saying that, “In the end though, it basically comes down to getting your head down, avoid the shiny distractions, and do the best job you possibly can.”
Such a positive, get-the-job-done attitude was certainly more than a saying for Andy. A notable achievement for him and Bluepoint Games was having the first downloadable game for the PlayStation 3 anywhere in the world available on the console’s launch day on time. It was a project written in his spare room and preparing God of War from the PS2 to the PS3.
Andy might not have been well known to individual consumers of video games, but his involvement within the Metroid game series connects him in a different way. Reddit users have been paying their respects in this forum, and reminiscing about what the game meant to them in their youth.
It would seem that we are on the cusp of a strange new era of consuming video games. For decades we have seen video game evolve as technological progresses leapfrogged our wildest expectations from our youth, and yet, the pioneers of our earliest gaming memories cannot live forever.
While we do not know them in life, it is clear that their impact will continue to be felt. The artists, developers, writers, testers, and everyone else involved in transitioning what begins as a simple vision to a finished game for our entertainment, each leave their mark in some way.
Although Andy has left us, there is no doubt that his example will live in through his family and co-workers.
Andy is survived by his brother Alistair, his two nieces, Isobel and Lucy, half-brother David, and his girlfriend Stephanie of Bee Cave, Texas.