Rest In Peace, Dan Johnson
Matt posted in The Industry on December 16th, 2006
It is very unfortunate, but High Impact has lost one of our most outstanding employees, Dan Johnson. Dan was an amazing person, and he had a positive impact on everyone he worked with and knew. The games industry has lost one of the best character artists, and everyone at High Impact have lost more than just a co-worker – we’ve lost a friend, a mentor, a true virtuoso, a hilarious comedian and an all around wonderful person. At his memorial on Monday, many people spoke about what a great influence he was in their lives. Now I only knew him for a year and didn’t work that closely with him, but I’ll never forget him. Many people who knew him better have written some touching stuff, like Michael John and Jon Mayfield, which is definitely worth reading. Although it’s tragic that he has passed away, I’m sure he’s gone to a better place.
Now, if you are not familiar with Dan, I’m sure you’re familiar with his work. He worked on every Insomiac game except Ratchet & Clank and Spyro. In fact, he is in many of those games in one form or another. In the Spyro games, the coins were textured with Dan’s face. In the original Ratchet & Clank, he’s on one of the monitors on Planet Orxon, a starfish on Pokitaru, and a mushroom on Eudora. There’s a Snow Dan that appeared in both Ratchet and Clank: Going Commando and Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal. I’m sure there are plenty of Dan references that I’m missing, but he’s all over the Insomniac games, and Ted Price said at his memorial service that they will continue to put him in their games.
Gamers and game developers alike should mourn because we lost one of the industry’s brightest stars.
February 11th, 2007 at 6:25 pm
Wow, I just found this out. I’m a HUGE fan of IG, planning on working there as an animator. It’s so sad that he died, it’s great that IG will continue putting his familiar face throughout their games. I’ve looked all over IG’s games looking for Dan’s face, its great fun. He will indeed be missed.
R.I.P. Dan
February 12th, 2007 at 2:52 pm
I remember talking to this guy a couple years ago back on the forum when he was still at IG. He seemed like a great guy. Speaking with more of a background, but his character models were top of the line, propably some of the best of last generation. I wish I could be as Dan-tastic as Dan. It’s a shame he’s gone and I’am glad to see Insomnic will continue to feature him in games.
February 12th, 2007 at 2:57 pm
Yeah, Dan was amazing to work with. His stuff was absolutely top notch, and he finished it really fast too. He was very technically inclined and really funny. It’s a shame. I imagine us at High Impact will continue to feature him in our future titles. Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters is dedicated to him. Look for him in our game too.
February 13th, 2007 at 5:44 am
R.I.P Dan ;_;
February 14th, 2007 at 6:56 pm
I read about Dan’s passing in the latest issue of the Game Developer magazine. I remember him quite will from my time at Insomniac as a gameplay programmer, and I can certainly say that the game industry won’t be the same without him.
December 17th, 2007 at 7:44 pm
I never knew Dan has passed until I saw the credits of Tools of Destruction, saying “In memory of Dan Johnson”. I understand how hard it is to lose someone with such good skills.
I know if I lost one of my staff, I would be extremely sad, especially if he was a close friend.
I wish Dan a great afterlife, and I pray for his ex-family/colleagues/friends.
August 15th, 2008 at 7:08 pm
that sucks i hope the other games will still be good after the loss of such an amazing person.
December 31st, 2008 at 8:42 pm
its so sad
February 24th, 2009 at 1:38 pm
i bearly ever knew this guy or nothing but i knew he made so many people smile and he was always my faviour charcter to play in ratchet and clank uya rest in peace dan
June 16th, 2009 at 6:18 pm
so sad, but how did he die
September 10th, 2009 at 8:21 pm
I am Dan’s brother. I would say that he was the most talented person I’ve known, and I don’t throw around those words lightly. I mentored him in his early career, but he soon surpassed the aquisition of any skills that I could teach him. He had an amazing ability to adapt to modern technologies and grasped them with a passion. Yet, he somehow still remained incredibly creative while maintaining a unique sense of humor. I recall being on the phone w/him until the wee hours of the morning either involved in deep philosophical discussions or in totally humorous light ones. Dan was a guy of great character. I miss him more than one could possibly know.
October 29th, 2009 at 2:10 pm
Having lost a highly talented and much loved brother myself I know the pain doesn’t stop. It does get duller as time goes on and talking and thinking about happy times makes it an ache that can be lived with. Just. From everything I have read and heard about Dan Johnson through the games and the gaming community he sounds like an incredible person. Sometimes it seems like we lose the best and brightest far sooner than we should and it feels so wrong. I guess the best we can do is remember them and be glad and grateful we had them for the time we did. And to Dan’s brother I can only say that my brother was my best friend and a piece of my heart broke off the day he died and I’ll never get it back, but I’ll always remember him with love and admiration and pride. Ten years later it still hurts and my heart aches for him, but I know he is in a better place and that one day I will see him again. You have my sympathy, my empathy, and my best wishes for you and your family during what I know is a devastating time. Take care.