It’s with a very heavy heart today that we report that Brian “Psychochild” Green has passed away at a relatively young age. Green was an MMO developer who was deeply involved with Meridian 59, a frequent blogger, and a co-creator of Storybricks, the software that EverQuest Next purchased for its development.
“Sad to share the news that Brian Green, game developer, passed away of natural causes in Rockville, Maryland,” one of his friends posted on Twitter and Facebook. “He was 46 years old, well known in the game developer community for running the early online multiplayer game Meridian 59 from 2001-2010.”
https://www.facebook.com/elonka/posts/10163878921240459
The MMO industry reacted to this news with grief as several prominent developers paid their respect to Green’s life:
Oh no. One of the old guard of our crazy tribe. A true loss.
— Steve Danuser (@SteveDanuser) August 12, 2020
### Psychochild opens the door and walks through.
Forever will he be a part of the fabric of Meridian 59, player and developer memories. Thank you for everything you did for so many Brian Green. We’ll miss you always. https://t.co/u6ENEkn4KO
— Meridian 59 (@Meridian_59) August 12, 2020
Me and Brian, Richard Bartle, @frandallfarmer, and Pavel Curtis, long ago. pic.twitter.com/oBa7SqutDc
— Raph Koster (@raphkoster) August 12, 2020
“I’ve known Brian for almost twenty years,” Koster said in another tweet. “He was always a kind person, dedicated to fostering communities. Fun to hang out with, great to debate. He was dedicated to keeping Meridian 59 alive for years.”
Green was a good online friend of mine, and we spent several years playing Dungeons and Dragons Online together. He always had a great sense of humor and a passion for delving into MMORPG worlds. I very much enjoyed his online essays, and I applaud the work he did in keeping Meridian 59 alive for so long.
Friends and fans will be welcomed to a pair of online memorials in his honor.
“Those who wish to donate to a charity in his name may donate to savethechildren.org. Because of the pandemic, there will not be an in-person memorial, but there will be an open Zoom conference at a date yet to be announced. For those who are members of the Final Fantasy community, there will be an in-game memorial on the Mateus server on Friday, August 14, at 9pm Eastern, in Ward 17, plot 49, in the Goblet housing area. For those not in that community, it will be recorded and the memorial comments can be viewed later.”
You can read more about Green’s legacy with Merdian 59 in our Game Archaeologist column.
A special tune for today: Meridian 59 – 'Main Theme' https://t.co/zg57Rm0I8l
In memory of Brian @Psychochild Green, great MMO wizard, esteemed community member and creative spirit. Rest in Peace, Brian. 🌸@Meridian_59
— Battle Bards Podcast (@battlebardscast) August 12, 2020
