David Ward has died at the age of 75.
The video gaming developer - who co-founded British company Ocean Software in the 1980s and went on to develop games for the Sega Mega Drive and the Super Nintendo Entertainment System - has passed away, as confirmed by his son Ben Ward on on Monday (09.05.22).
Without revealing a cause of death, alongside a black-and-white imahe, he wrote: "Sad to report that my father David Ward has died. Born in 1947, he was a computer games pioneer father of six. We had a complicated relationship we loved each other. Will miss you Pop."
David co-founded Ocean Software with Jon Woods back in 1983 and throughout the course of the 1980s and 1990s the pair worked on popular gaming adaptations of TV shows and movies, such as 'The Addams Family', 'Batman: The Caped Crusader', 'Batman: The Movie' and enjoyed huge success with the 'RoboCop' franchise, which spanned a total of three titles.
The Manchester-based company - which was acquired by Infogrames in 1998 for a reported £100 million before going on to become part of a patent merger - is credited for establishing much of the commercial, legal and technical framework at a time when video games were rapidly gaining popularity.
Back in 2004, David and Jon were ducted into the ELSPA Hall of Fame for their contributions to the game industry and were aid to have "transformed" the industry at the time.
ELSPA director general Roger Bennett said: "Many people consider Ocean Software to be pioneers who helped to transform the UK computer and video games into a real multinational business. Together Ward and Woods coined much of the terminology of the games industry and instigated many of its milestones, including the use of brands and franchises from traditional media and the formal processes of protecting intellectual property.
British Esports chair Andy Payne tweeted: "David Ward RIP. Co-founder of Ocean Software. Another legend of the UK games industry has gone."
