Ex-id, EA and Atari Developer Paul Steed has Passed Away

Paul Steed, one of the pioneers of 3D modeling in videogames, has passed away. The cause of death has not yet been made known.

Steed started his career at Origin in the early ’90s taking the Wing Commander series into 3D with Wing Commander 3, 4 and Armada. While with EA/Origin he also worked on Wings of Glory and Bioforge.

His career continued with his work on the Quake games, gaining notoriety both for his exceptional work on the series, and for certain comments on, and contributions to the world of gaming, such as the infamous Crackwhore character in Quake II.

For more on Steed’s outspoken, agressive approach to game development (and in many cases, life in general) check out his appearance on an old episode of the Jace Hall show.

Steed later worked with Microsoft to launch the Xbox 360 and XNA, and spent a year as the creative director for Atari.

He was the author of multiple books on 3D modeling, and was a frequent speaker at Game Developer’s Conference, giving the keynote in 2008.

He leaves behind a wife and children, and our thoughts go out to them. He will be missed.

Via Destructoid