Former Sony executive Lewis “Kelly” Flock has passed away, according to reports this week.The retired President of Sony Online Entertainmentwas a major part in the development of beloved franchises such asGod of WarandTwisted Metal. Flock retired in 2017, and his health had reportedly been in decline for some time, but nevertheless the death of the legendary executive is felt throughout the game development community.
Before his retirement, Flock sat on the board for the gambling company Aristocrat. However, people know him best for his work with game publishers and developers, as his involvement goes back to the industry’s infancyhaving worked for EAin the mid-1980s. Flock was one of a handful of marketers and producers with the company at the time, and EA veteran Don Daglow told VentureBeat, “We often functioned as a single group that exchanged ideas openly, and Kelly was an uninhibited (and fun) part of that milieu.”
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In addition to EA, Flock worked for LucasArts and TriMark Interactive. However, arguably his most notable contributions to gaming came after he joined Sony in 1995. At the time, Sony’s game development wing was known as Sony Imagesoft, and Flock later took charge of Sony’s 989 Studios. While there, Flockoversaw the release of the classic MMOEverquest. According to co-creator John Smedley, the game would not have made it to release without Flock’s commitment.
Over his years with Sony, Flock apparently developed a reputation as a fun and approachable executive who was known for taking chances on risky projects, which continued after he took over as President of Sony Online Entertainment. Flock was responsible for green-lighting most of theTwisted Metalseries, and worked hard to support bothEverquestand racing seriesJet Moto. He was also a key figure responsible for establishing Sony Santa Monica, the developer ofGod of War. According toGod of Warcreator David Jaffe, the popular series likely would not exist if Flock hadn’t thrown his weight behind it.
A number of Flock’s colleagues took to social media to memorialize his passing. For example Shawn Layden, the formerhead of Sony Interactive Entertainment, tweeted, “Kelly was hilarious, curmudgeonly, and fearless. The sine qua non in the creation of PlayStation Studios in America. He also told me to fek off more than a few times and I respected him all the more.”
Jaffe, meanwhile, praised his leadership atSonyand willingness to treat mistakes as learning experiences instead of failures. Others commented on a boisterous personality that made him impossible not to like, and the game industry will undoubtedly miss the illustrious former executive.
