The name Bob Wakelin may not be the most familiar to video game fans, but you more than likely has seen his work if you’ve bought games over the past few years. Wakelin was responsible for some of the most iconic video game cover art out there, making designs for games like Contra for the NES, as well as Taito games like Renegade, Rastan and The New Zealand Story, among countless others.
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Sadly, Wakelin passed away this weekend, leaving behind an artistic legacy that not only covered video games but also comic books, as he served as a contributor to Marvel UK (including several covers for the Starlord series). He also produced a number of pieces of art for the UK publisher Ocean.
Most of his work was seen with games on the PC front, making covers for games like Midnight Resistance, Batman, Hunchback, Operation Wolf and countless others.
Wakelin once noted that attractive cover art is what helped Ocean thrive in the 80’s and 90’s, noting, “A couple of times, the guys at Ocean said to me, ‘Look, Bob, this game really isn’t very good so we need an extra special cover.’ I suppose I should feel guilty for it.”
Following his passing, a number of tributes have come in from game fans across the globe, including the following tweets below:
So sad to hear that Bob Wakelin has died. An amazing artist and his beautiful covers were a huge part of my childhood, many of them adorning my bedroom walls as posters in the 80s. 🙁 #RIPBobWakelin pic.twitter.com/2hvCcgkv9v
— Blerkotron (@Blerkotron) January 21, 2018
We have lost a great man and a phenomenal artist in Bob Wakelin. So many great memories from my childhood thanks to this great man. RIP. #bobwakelin #c64 #commodore64 #wizball #renegade #lastgamer #retrogaming #80sgaming #spectrum #amstrad #amiga #art… https://t.co/y7Aq12b0Er pic.twitter.com/emvvqW0WWa
— Last Gamer 🌏🎮 (@LastgamerJop) January 21, 2018
Here’s a reminder of Bob Wakelin’s superb artwork. You’ll know more of them than you think. Bob you’ll be missed. Your artwork was Epic. https://t.co/jUqZfjckSY pic.twitter.com/CZi3UJk7lL
— Retrobate (8Bit)_ 🕹 (@Retrob8) January 21, 2018
Here’s a reminder of Bob Wakelin’s superb artwork. You’ll know more of them than you think. Bob you’ll be missed. Your artwork was Epic. https://t.co/jUqZfjckSY pic.twitter.com/CZi3UJk7lL
— Retrobate (8Bit)_ 🕹 (@Retrob8) January 21, 2018
We are heartbroken. Farewell, dearest friend. We love you and we will miss you 💔💔💔 /David and Anna. pic.twitter.com/FAxV9Y7wRn
— bobwakelin.com (@bobwakelin) January 21, 2018
Our condolences are with Wakelin’s friends, family and fans. He’s certainly done some amazing work over the years.
(Thanks to Nintendo Life for the info!)
