Brett Schnepf, one of the founding members of the Xbox console team and the person who named the console's controller Duke has sadly passed away on August 12, 2020. Schnepf was part of the team that produced the very first Xbox console, released in 2001 in North America, setting the stage for almost 20 years of gaming at Microsoft.
Schnepf was already working for Microsoft on hardware when he was offered the chance to help produce the first Xbox console. Before the opportunity came along, he was working on an iconic PC controller introduced in 1995. The Sidewinder that he designed became the flagship PC controller at Microsoft, launching an entire line of controllers.
However, when Schnepf was approached by Microsoft's Seamus Blackley to help produce a gaming console for the company, his career would be changed forever. Blackley was one of the founding creators of the first Xbox console, and he wanted Schnepf and his team in on it. According to Game Rant, Schnepf was terrified by Blackley's offer as he thought it would ruin his career. Instead, it brought him the fame deserved of the man that helped create the first American-made console since the Atari's production stopped in 1996. The Xbox console launched as part of the sixth generation of consoles and was up against Sony's PlayStation 2 and the Nintendo GameCube, putting the companies in stiff competition for the gaming market that still persists somewhat to this day, three generations of consoles later. Schnepf's most memorable contribution to the Microsoft console was his creation of the first Xbox controller, and he was the one who nicknamed it Duke, after his son who was growing up during the controller's production. Schnepf didn't stop after designing the Duke controller, and has been working for Microsoft all these years. He was most recently involved in the making of Microsoft Train Simulator and Microsoft Flight Simulator.
Following Brett's passing, his son Duke Schnepf has launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for the funeral costs. In a tweet sharing a link to the campaign, Blackley refers to Schnepf as "instrumental" in bringing the idea of a Microsoft console to life. Fans and members of the gaming industry, including Xbox head Phil Spencer, joined in the replies to pay their respects.
Schnepf was a brilliant addition to the Xbox console team, laying down the groundwork for all Xbox controllers that have come after it. Although it was a little bulky, the Duke controller led to some powerful controllers that are now even being used to control tanks in a military format. This would not be possible without the help of Schnepf, and he is sure to remain a historic figure in the gaming industry.
Source: Game Rant, Seamus Blackley/Twitter