It is with great regret that we share the news of veteran MMO designer, Ben Hanson, passing away. Working with Sony Online Entertainment, Hanson was the lead designer on Star Wars Galaxies MMORPG games.
Gamasutra first learned of his passing through a tweet by Hanson’s friend and colleague, Raph Koster.
Learned that the talented designer Ben Hanson passed away. Very sad news. He was a key contributor on SWG & fun to play & argue with.
Apart from working with SOE, Hanson worked at Simutronics, Origin, ArenaNet, and Digital Anvil. He was an avid fan of online games, and mentioned this in one of his previous blog posts as well.
I have been a big fan of online games ever since the first time I played them. While single-player games were fun, it was these online wonders that captured my imagination.
Our thoughts are with Hanson’s friends and family.
