His colleague, Ryan King, broke the news on Twitter earlier today, and linked to a crowdfund campaign that confirmed Ayers had died yesterday, 23rd September, “after a short illness”. “Devastated that we’ve lost @Kaaaaneda who was truly the best of us - warm, funny, brilliant, a huge loss to us all,” King tweeted. “Games industry, please share this link far and wide xxx” Ayers – who had also worked at Konami, Capcom, and Paradox before joining Sega – had been a well-known, well-loved, and deeply respected member of the UK’s game industry. A Just Giving campaign, set up to help his partner and parents with “the considerable costs of a funeral”, states: “Brian James Ayers passed away on the 23rd September at the age of 42 after a short illness. “He was a much loved son, brother, partner, friend and colleague.” There’s a Just Giving page to assist Ayers’ family and partner here.
