Geoff Keighley, the founder of The Game Awards took to X to announce the passing of Matthew Shell who spent over 2 decades at LucasArts. Shell’s death which happened last week was attributed to cardiac arrest.
“If you’ve played a Star Wars game over the past 2 decades, Matt Shell was a key part of bringing it to life at LucasArts,” wrote Keighley on X. “Shockingly, Matt passed away this week from a heart attack. Matt was an incredible person with a huge heart — kind, loyal, hardworking, and always funny. He brought a smile to every meeting.”
Shell was an incredible figure that featured in virtually every release under the LucasArts catalog for the past 20 years. Most recently, he was credited as the game’s director of brand marketing for the 2023 Star Wars: Jedi Survivor.
ALSO READ: Bloober Team Is “Very Confident” With Silent Hill 2 Remake, Working On Several New Projects
Devastated to hear the news about the tragic passing of our friend Matt Shell @shellshiznit. I knew Matt for about a decade as we worked together to bring STAR WARS games to everyone as we traveled the world. He had been doing it with LucasArts for 20 years. We will miss his… pic.twitter.com/ZFy8aImqv9
— Ray Almeda (@rayalmeda) April 27, 2024
Tributes have continued to pour out for the departed veteran who would be missed in no small measure across the video game industry. Shell played enormous roles in shaping the childhood experiences of many gamers today.
Reacting to the death of the veteran, General Manager of Good Shepherd Entertainment Lincoln Hershberger wrote, “Matt was such an incredible human being. It’s hard to make sense of this tragic news. He was beloved friend and colleague who I will miss forever”.
Reporter and Influencers @KwingReviews wrote, “No way, Matt was a very Kind, Funny, Energetic and awesome Guy. Only got to interact with him a few times, over Star Wars Games in the 00s. Matt loved talking about Star Wars Games. RIP Shell, Thank you for your 2 decades of passion in this industry. Condolences to his Family.”
ALSO READ: How To Create The Most Immersive VR Gaming Experience – 5 Must-Have Accessories
He was a close personal friend; my husband’s best friend and best man at our wedding. His personality really shines through in that video. He was the funniest, sweetest and most charismatic person I’ve ever known.
— Gwen Harrison Ma (@GWENMA) April 28, 2024
Following Matthew Shell’s death, a lot of people have been digging through their archives to relive their personal experiences with the late veteran. Twitch Streamer Tom the Iron Man had to dig through his archive to find a picture he took with Shell at the 2008 manager’s conference in Las Vegas.
Keighley also dug through his archive to find an interview he had with Shell at the Star Wars Celebration in 2007 for the TV show Game Head. It was hard to hold back tears watching Shell’s boisterous nature exude in the interview.
I went back into my archive to find this interview from 17 years ago with Matt at Star Wars celebration 2007 for the TV show Game Head.
(Episode 614A, Original Airdate 6/8/07 on Spike TV). pic.twitter.com/EiXvub7tEU
— Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) April 27, 2024
