Bryan Ansell, one of many chief architects of the Warhammer franchise alongside Richard Halliwell and Rick Priestley, has died. He was 68.
Ansell’s demise was introduced on Instagram on December 30 with the message, “With great sadness, we announce that Bryan passed away peacefully at home this morning surrounded by his family, 30th December 2023.”
It included a basic photograph of Ansell sitting in entrance of a Warhammer military with the outline, “Mighty, Dark-Winged, Avenging Lord of Chaos, Bryan Ansell, and his Mighty Avenging Chaos Army.”
Warhammer based Cidatel Miniatures in partnership with Steven Jackson’s Games Workshop in 1978. His initially bought 25mm historic and fantasy miniatures and video games, but it surely was 1983’s Warhammer Fantasy Battle that might change into the corporate’s breakout hit. Ansell purchased out Games Workshop alongside Tom Kirby, and the corporate was ultimately refocused round Warhammer and Warhammer 40Okay. Ansell finally left Games Workshop to concentrate on Wargames Foundry.
Warhammer, in fact, stays immensely fashionable to today, as evidenced by the large vary of licensed video video games and different media which have come out of the property. The tabletop recreation likewise stays very talked-about, fostering a passionate neighborhood devoted to portray miniatures amongst different actions.
Games Workshop alumni paid tribute to Ansell, with Games Workshop co-founder Ian Livingstone writing, “Very sad news Bryan Ansell passed away. Bryan, Steve Jackson and I set up Citadel Miniatures in 1978 as part of Games Workshop. He was a craftsman and dynamic entrepreneur who drove the growth of GW to the next level. Without Bryan, Warhammer would not have launched.”
Remedy designer Tuomas Pirinen, who beforehand labored at Games Workshop, wrote, “Bryan Ansell, the man behind the growth of Games Worshop and the patron of Warhammer and #40K as we know it today has died. Not many #Warhammer fans know it today, but without him, there would almost certainly be no Warhammer hobby at all today. Hard, man, but I’ll drink to you.”
Games Workshop didn’t present an announcement on any of its official channels.
Kat Bailey is IGN’s News Director in addition to co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.
