Mick McGinty, an artist responsible for many of the most memorable pieces of video game artwork from the 1990s, has died.
He passed away “peacefully” on September 18, as announced by his son Jobey in a post. While he worked for decades across a number of fields, it’s his video game contributions that most of us will be familiar with, as McGinty provided the illustrations for a number of iconic pieces of cover and promotional art.
Perhaps most notable are his Street Fighter II works, which graced everything from console and computer game covers to posters:
It’s almost impossible remembering Street Fighter II—if you were around at the time and conscious of it, at any rate—without thinking of that image. Blanka’s face, Ryu’s limp body, you saw it so often on posters, in magazines, and on shelves that even the smallest details would burn themselves into your memory.
But as his website shows, and as VGDensetsu shared over the weekend, he also did so much more, like this Leisure Suit Larry box art:
Practically every cover for Zoo Tycoon:
Streets of Rage 2:
Kid Chameleon’s famous cover, which folks remember more than the game itself:
Shining Force:
And, just to finish up, even more Street Fighter II:
While most of his video game work comes from the ‘90s, McGinty worked as a professional artist for decades either side of that, on everything from ‘80s movies (like Harry & The Hendersons and Who Framed Roger Rabbit?) to corporate advertising (McDonalds and Adidas) to album covers.
Prior to his death, McGinty had been mostly producing works of fine art, particularly oil paintings, which you can see on his website. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.