Jacana posted in the forum on the sad news that Adam Lancman, President of the GDAA and head of Atari Melbourne, passed away sometime on Saturday night.
It does come as a shock as Adam can be seen sharing his views on the future of the Australian games industry just last week (see link below).
I'm sure everyone at Sumea sends their sincere condolences to Adams loved ones and give our heartfelt thanks to Adam for his great contributions to the Australian Games Industry for more than two decades.
His personal assistant, Camille Wall, the GDAA, Melbourne House, IR Gurus and ThatGame have written notices in The Age for Adam...
Monday March 7, 2005, The Age
LANCMAN, Adam.
A life lived with dignity and passion. Adam, I'll always remember you as a gentle man who is true to his word. Sadly taken from us all too early.
Always remembered.
Your P.A. Camille.
Monday March 7, 2005, The Age
LANCMAN,
Adam.
The Game Developers' Association of Australia's Board and Members extend their deepest condolences to Marlene, Ben, Tully and Hannah for their loss. Adam was a tremendous person who gave generously to the Australian Game industry. He will be greatly missed.
Tuesday March 8, 2005, The Age
LANCMAN, Adam.
Deepest sympathy to Marlene, Ben, Hannah and Tully on the tragic loss of Adam. Remembered as both a great leader but also as a true friend. His enthusiasm, belief and trust will be missed by all who knew him.
From the staff of Melbourne House.
Wednesday March 9, 2005, The Age
LANCMAN, Adam.
IR Guru's and Thatgame wish to express our sorrow at Adam's sudden passing. Our thoughts and sympathy are with Marlene, Ben, Tully and Hannah. Adam will be fondly remembered and sadly missed.
Tim Richards, GDAA Newsletter Editor, has written on www.gamenews.com.au...
Adam Lancman, the Captain of the Australian Game Industry, has Passed Away
Mr Adam Lancman, one of the key figures in the Australian game development industry, has died over the weekend. Adam, President of the Game Developer's Association of Australia and head of Atari's Australian operations, for a long time was a great contributor to the game industry both here and overseas.
Adam was a highly experience game company leader and would have had a difficult job ensuring the Melbourne operations of French conglomerate Atari, formerly Infogrames, had a steady stream of high profile work for local game developers.
However Atari Melbourne House, as it is known, did produce some great branded titles including Transformers. Adam was a busy man but nevertheless found time to encourage people in the game industry on a personal basis.
Adam's leadership of the industry's key association, the GDAA, was testament to his ability to cut through the personalities in the developer world and make them all work together to develop the game development industry in Australia. Our condolences to his family, and our thoughts are with you."
Kevin 'Zaph' Burfitt wrote in his blog...
"The Australian Game Development community has suffered a tragic loss.
Adam Lancman, one of the pioneers of the games industry in Australia, passed away on Saturday night. Adam was a true believer in what the Aussie industry could do and he fearlessly went out there to drive our industry forwards.
Adam was my boss, and friend, for 10 years at Melbourne House. One of the first times I ever met Adam was at the 1994 company Xmas party just before I joined the company, where if memory serves correct he was dressed as Carmen Miranda. I knew right then and there that this was going to be a great place to work.
I've drunk many a rusty-nail over the years with Adam, on three different continents, and I'm going to miss him greatly. He was much too young to be taken from us, I wish he'd been given a continue option in his game of life."
From the Xbox Advanced interview...
"Adam Lancman, president of the Game Developers? Association of Australia (GDAA), was one of the founders of Beam Software (said to be the starting point of the game development industry in Australia), and until recently, was CEO and Managing Director of Atari Melbourne House. Adam has over 23 years of extensive experience in all facets of the international game development and publishing industry, and has strong established ties with many of the major international publishers and console manufacturers around the world. Adam, who was instrumental in establishing the GDAA, has a strong commitment to the future growth and success of the Australian video game industry."
Whilst I knew Adam for only a short time, he was an inspiration to young hopefuls in the industry with his support of the GDAA, and a wealth of knowledge and experience. We pass on our condolences to his family and friends - it is a great loss to the Australian games industry. He will be missed.
On behalf of the Gridwerx team.
Respectfully
Peter Jarrett