With the videogame industry still being relatively young, it’s especially sad when any of its talented figures pass away. Unfortunately, that’s the news we heard this year about Jon Mummery, who joined Rare back in 1998 and worked here for over a decade before moving on to other prestigious studios like Starbreeze and Crytek.
During his time as a Senior and Lead Animator at Rare, Jon made significant contributions to games ranging from the original Perfect Dark on N64 through to the Xbox 360 Kinect Sports titles, taking in Viva Piñata, Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts, Perfect Dark Zero and both of Rare’s DS releases along the way. He was credited on four BAFTA-winning titles during his animation career, and as an artist of many talents he was previously influential on the Brighton graffiti scene, where a tribute wall has now been painted in his honour.
Jon lived with cystic fibrosis from birth, and finally lost the battle in March 2014 at the age of 41. We wanted to leave a permanent post here to mark his accomplishments and the impression he left on those around him, so we asked some of Jon’s Rare colleagues to share their memories.
Louise O’Connor, Art Director:
“Jon and I started working at Rare as animators within a year of each other. He was on the PD team, I was on the Conker team. Unsurprisingly we had little contact with each other during our early years. It was only after we started working together on our central art services team that we discovered our shared passion for all things animation. We began talking seriously about how animation was viewed in the studio, and eventually went on to help mentor and structure our animation team. We organised life drawing lessons, weekly animation reviews and mini animation projects.
“In all my time working with Jon, I never knew he was ill, not until just before he left. He was so positive and easy-going that it was impossible to believe he could be ill – he never let you know. I admired Jon greatly, as an animator and as a colleague. He was so dedicated to our studio and to his team and to his friends, and it is truly heartbreaking that Jon has passed away. He’ll be sorely missed, but his legacy of friendship and mentorship will live on in the hearts of the team he helped build at Rare.”
Rich Cousins, Live Operations Manager:
“I worked with Jon on PDZ and he was a great guy to have around when it was all hands to the pump at the end of the project. He was always calm under pressure and not easily fazed, and this good-natured attitude seemed to rub off on those around him. Not to mention the fact that he was a very skilled artist and animator. A keen gamer too, and we often raced to the next 1K Gamerscore in the early Xbox 360 days. I would always play late at night and pull ahead, but by the time I got to work he’d caught up because he used to play early in the morning…”
Gary Talbot, Principal Animator:
“Jon was a fantastic mentor and an inspiration to the art team. He mentored me personally for years and if it wasn’t for him I wouldn’t be in the position I am today. Incredible patience and amazing skills. He also guided many other animators, and I think Rare and many other art individuals owe Jon a big thank you for all his contributions and inherited skills. Lovely bloke who was a joy to work around and had so much passion for games and animation.”
Paul Machacek, Test Manager:
“Whilst I worked with Jon various times over his years at Rare, my most vivid recollections come from a couple of handheld projects I ran where Jon was our Lead Animator. His quiet, dedicated, consistent and quality approach was noted and admired by all around him, and would probably have been noted further if more than a small handful had even known what Jon was going through regarding his health.
“Jon never let his health define him, and in fact was often seen to be one of the most doggedly productive people on our team. To me, his attitude stood out, and even under times of pressure, where others may question whether a direction or workload was feasible, Jon would say to me that he valued what we were doing because he felt his time was being used most efficiently.
“I’m so grateful that something so precious to him was given so freely and enthusiastically to all around him, and under the guise of an unassuming and exceptionally nice chap.”
A fundraising campaign has been established in Jon’s memory for the Leicester Hospitals Charity, specifically the Cystic Fibrosis Ward. Anyone who’d like to make a donation is more than welcome to do so via the link below.