We have the rare opportunity to do what we always dreamed of. To pursue and then realize a dream and to make a living doing what we love are rare, and we consider ourselves to be extremely lucky and blessed. When we started out creating Guns of Icarus Online, in a lot of ways, we didn’t know what we were getting ourselves into. We didn’t know there would be so many malware, routers, VPN software, anti-viruses, and weird ethernet card configs that we had to help players navigate through. We didn’t know what it would take to provide a service and to build a community. On the eve of Hurricane Sandy and the release of the game, as we teetered, we didn’t know what height we would reach and what community we would shape. Over a year later, we’ve learned so much, and got to know so many of you. Together, you the player and us the dev built another rare thing – a beautiful community where people from all over the world come together to play a game and celebrate friendship.
TimmyB we got to know really well. We played together a lot, and he represented the best of the community. We were really saddened by TimmyB’s passing. Matt and I are in utter disbelief and shock. It is hard to put our thoughts into words, so I will quote his friend Byron’s words:
“All I can say for sure was that Timmy had a passion for GOIO and a strong desire to bring the community together. He didn’t have a mean bone in his body, and his only reason for competing was to share in the experience with the people he came to consider his second family. He thought of every active member in the GOIO community as his friends, he respected each one of them, and had great joy in just sharing in with the closeness of the community. He would want to be remembered for making the community stronger and making sure everyone remembered to have fun together. “
It’s been a privilege to get to know TimmyB, as well as everyone in game. I consider you guys our friends, and we would be nothing without everyone’s love and support. We are incredibly humbled and deeply honored to have forged this strong of a bond with people through this game, and this is what makes it so hard for us, to see the passing of a friend, a loyal supporter, and a beacon of our community too soon…
What’s really left is for us to take action, to pay tribute, and to ensure that the memory of TimmyB lives on in this game, this community, and our memory. Following his family guidance, we donated to the American Cancer Society
in his honor. Hope our little bit of contribution can make a little bit of difference. We will also dedicate a few things in and around the game in his memory, and we will be unveiling them in the coming days. Lastly, we vow to try harder to serve everyone to honor his memory and to cherish life, friends, and family.
Thanks for listening everyone, Howard