Our community has lost a brilliant mind today.
Andrew Scott Reisse, a founding member and lead engineer on the Oculus Rift VR headset project, was struck and killed by a vehicle in Santa Ana, California as its driver fled from the police.
According to an ABC report, Reisse was crossing the street when the driver, said to have been running from the scene of a shooting, ran a red light. The suspects are in custody.
For a life to end is always despairing. For it to be one of our own, crushing. For that life to end just as years of work on an incredible project began to bear its fruit is nothing short of tragic.
Our hearts and minds are with the family of Andrew Reisse and the entire Oculus VR team tonight.
An official statement from the Oculus VR team follows:
Andrew was a brilliant computer graphics engineer, an avid photographer and hiker who loved nature, a true loyal friend, and a founding member of our close-knit Oculus family.
Some of us have known Andrew since college, and have worked with him at multiple companies beginning with Scaleform in Maryland which he helped start at age 19, then at Gaikai in Aliso Viejo which brought him out to California, and finally at Oculus where he was a co-founder and lead engineer.
Andrew’s contributions span far and wide in the video game industry. His code is embedded in thousands of games played by millions of people around the world.
Words can not express how sorely he will be missed or how deeply our sympathy runs for his family
Andrew will always be in our thoughts and will never be forgotten. We love you Reisse.
