While there may be some who are not familiar with his name, there will be those gamers who grew up in the early 90s and beyond who will be very familiar with the work ofMick McGinty. The legendary artist was known for creating the box art for some ofthe most recognizable and classic arcade gamesof a bygone era. Sadly, it has been recently reported that the artist passed away “peacefully” just a couple of days ago.
In a recent post by his son Jobey, the creator of some of the most famous video game artwork and posters from the early console generation of the late 80s and early 90s has died. In a passionate letter about his father, Jobey said he was surrounded by his family, having reassured the artist that they would be with him until the end. Mick McGinty was a well-known in various fields, but it’s arguably his work with video games, particularly during theSega Genesisera, that many will remember him fondly for.
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His artistry was iconic during this time, with his most famous box art being for the legendary beat-em-up gameStreet Fighter 2which recently turned 30-years-old. The cover for the game became instantly recognizable with fans, depicting a fierce-looking Blanka, in a roll attack heading towards Chun-Li as she prepares to defend herself. Both the game, and the artwork, have become classics in the video game world since.
However, it wasn’t justStreet Fighter 2he did the box artwork for. He also worked on another 90’s Genesis classic beat-em-up game,Streets of Rage 2, with the cover depicting an alleyway royal rumble with the main characters Blaze, Axel, Skate and Max slugging it out with some thugs. Even though theSoRseries had a huge hiatus, the franchise did return last year andStreets of Rage 4became one of the best co-op games of 2020. As well-received asSoR4was, many fans will likely think back to the second installment as one of the franchise’s crowning achievements, and much of that status is likely owed to McGinty’s artwork.
It wasn’t just fighting games he was known for, either. He also did the cover for every single iteration of the businessmanagement simZoo Tycoon, a series which runs the gamut from 2001 to 2017. Overall,Mick Mcgintywas an extremely talented artist. His passing on Saturday will leave the art community and the video game world in mourning, but his iconic work will live on forever.
