Armin Gessert (1963 - November 9, 2009)<div><br></div><div>Armin Gessert, creator of The Great Giana Sisters (Commodore 64, 1987), passed away on November 9 from a heart attack.<div><br></div><div>With a career spanning 25 years in the industry, Gessert began designing games for Rainbow Arts, starting with Street Gang for Rainbow Arts (Commodore 64, 1984). He later created The Great Giana Sisters (1987), which became an instant classic. Shortly after, he began freelance work <font class="Apple-style-span" face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">for </font><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">Gütersloh to Kehl until joining Blue Byte in 1988, where he produced the highly successful Great Court (1989). In 1994, he went independent after founding <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: small; ">Spellbound Studios with his friend Jean-Marc Haessig. Spellbound produced many strategy games such as Robin Hood - Legend of Sherwood (2002) and Airline Tycoon (1998), along with other action titles such as <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; ">Extreme Assault (1997).</span></span></font></span></div>
<div><div><br></div><div>Gessert's most famous title is The Great Giana Sisters, which he produced with Chris Huelsbeck and Manfred Trenz for the Commodore 64. The Great Giana Sisters was an instant classic for the C64 and developed a strong following among fans. However, the game's similarities with Super Mario Bros. caused Nintendo to force the game to be pulled from store shelves, but illegal copying quickly vaulted the title to cult status. Gessert had been working on a Nintendo DS version of the game when he passed away.</div>
<div><br></div><div>Gessert and The Great Giana Sisters had a strong following, and his passing was marked by many websites, both fan-based and industry.<br clear="all">
<br></div><div><a href="http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=26008">http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=26008</a> - Gamasutra</div><div><a href="http://www.spellbound.de/?idcat=10&idart=284" target="_blank">http://www.spellbound.de/?idcat=10&idart=284</a> - Spellbound's official announcement (German)</div>
<div><a href="http://www.develop-online.net/news/33226/Industry-veteran-Gessert-dies-after-fatal-heart-attack" target="_blank">http://www.develop-online.net/news/33226/Industry-veteran-Gessert-dies-after-fatal-heart-attack</a> - Develop, who first published the news in English</div>
<div><a href="http://www.gamecareerguide.com/industry_news/26008/giana_sisters_cocreator_armin_.php">http://www.gamecareerguide.com/industry_news/26008/giana_sisters_cocreator_armin_.php</a> - Gamasutra article mirror </div>
<div><a href="http://www.remix64.com/armin_gessert_deceased.html">http://www.remix64.com/armin_gessert_deceased.html</a> - Remix 64</div><div><a href="http://www.mcvuk.com/news/36443/Veteran-dev-Armin-Gessert-dies">http://www.mcvuk.com/news/36443/Veteran-dev-Armin-Gessert-dies</a> - MCV</div>
<div><a href="http://www.pcgameshardware.de/aid,699174/Armin-Gessert-Spellbound-Schoepfer-der-Great-Giana-Sisters-verstorben/Spiele/News/">http://www.pcgameshardware.de/aid,699174/Armin-Gessert-Spellbound-Schoepfer-der-Great-Giana-Sisters-verstorben/Spiele/News/</a> - PC Games Hardware (German)</div>
<div><a href="http://www.metafilter.com/86532/Armin-Gessert-passed-away">http://www.metafilter.com/86532/Armin-Gessert-passed-away</a> - MetaFilter</div><div><a href="http://www.pouet.net/topic.php?which=6945" target="_blank">http://www.pouet.net/topic.php?which=6945</a>- Pouet user comments</div>
<div><br></div><div><a href="http://www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/developerId,35317/">http://www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/developerId,35317/</a> - MobyGames Profile</div><div><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armin_Gessert" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armin_Gessert</a> - Armin Gessert's article on Wikipedia</div>
<div><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Giana_Sisters" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Giana_Sisters</a> - Article on The Great Giana Sisters<br>-- <br>Devin Monnens<br><a href="http://www.deserthat.com" target="_blank">www.deserthat.com</a><br>
<br>The sleep of Reason produces monsters.<br>
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