Firefly: The Game and Star Trek: Ascendancy designer Sean Sweigart dies

Sean Sweigart, who helped design games including Firefly: The Game, Star Trek: Ascendancy and various other licensed tabletop titles at Gale Force Nine, has died.

Sweigart worked at the publisher for more than a decade, contributing to projects based on a variety of TV and film properties, from Spartacus, Sons of Anarchy and Homeland to Family Guy and WWE.

Before that, he worked at Games Workshop for four years and opened his own local gaming retailer, Omnidon’s, in the early 1990s.

According to an announcement post on the Gale Force Nine website, Sweigart passed away on December 27th following complications after surgery. He was just 48.

“Sean always sought new challenges,” the post continues. “He relished innovating and creating. Sean wanted to make thematic games that told stories, games in which people could immerse themselves. He succeeded, and was rightly proud of his work.

“Sean was a close friend to those around him, passionate about games (among many other things!) and his presence will be sorely missed.”

Fellow designer John Kovaleski has set up a memorial fund on GoFundMe on behalf of Sweigart’s daughter, Alyssa, to provide support with Sean’s medical bills and her own tuition fees, which her father previously helped to cover.