This is a grieving moment for the tech and gaming community. One of the co-founders for Oculus VR (who invented the Oculus Rift), 33 year old Andrew Reisse, was killed in a freaked accident. He was walking in a crosswalk when he was hit by a speeding car that was chased after by a police car.
It is really sad when rave reviews of the Oculus Rift are pouring in. I was thinking this might be the future of immersive gaming. I guess it is really the case of wrong place at wrong time. The 21-year old driver/gang member was apprehended but it will never stop the grieve of losing a bright star in the gaming industry.
According to the report,
“They ran through several red lights, including the one where they struck our victim,” said Santa Ana Police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna.
Click Here to Read the Report from ABC
Here is a copy of the official statement from Oculus VR team (copied from TechCrunch)
Andrew was a brilliant computer graphics engineer, an avid photographer and hiker who loved nature, a true loyal friend, and a founding member of our close-knit Oculus family.
Some of us have known Andrew since college, and have worked with him at multiple companies beginning with Scaleform in Maryland which he helped start at age 19, then at Gaikai in Aliso Viejo which brought him out to California, and finally at Oculus where he was a co-founder and lead engineer.
Andrew’s contributions span far and wide in the video game industry. His code is embedded in thousands of games played by millions of people around the world.
Words can not express how sorely he will be missed or how deeply our sympathy runs for his family
Andrew will always be in our thoughts and will never be forgotten. We love you Reisse.
Condolences to Andrew Reisse’s family and friends.