Simon Helvig, co-founder, majority shareholder, and managing director of publisher Kalypso Media, has died at the age of 46. The news was announced in a statement from Kalypso's official account: [Simon's business acumen and love for the video game industry began at an early age. While others were developing their own games in their bedrooms, Simon was instead buying and selling games to magazines. His love of one of the early play-by-mail strategy games, "Gladius and Pilum," not only combined his interest in gaming and history, but also established a lifelong passion for historical strategy games.

"This passion for the industry culminated in his senior thesis, "Developing a Business Plan for Establishing a Company in the Entertainment Software Industry." These goals have been met and exceeded over the past 16 years as Simon and his team have grown Kalypso into a renowned industry company that continues to provide high quality strategy and simulation games.

Kalypso's official statement is framed by a stylized black ribbon, the symbol of melanoma awareness.

Kalypso is perhaps best known for the "Tropico" series, a humorous city-building/political sim about running a banana republic as El Presidente and trying to keep it all going while squeezing as much cash as possible out of the global superpowers who try to use it as a proxy Tropico was acquired from Take-Two in 2008, with Tropico 3 being the first game under the publisher's aegis (the series is now up to Tropico 6).

The portfolio is really broad and includes a lot of strategy gold, such as the recent Commandos 2 remake, but there are also a few oddities sprinkled along the way, such as involvement in the European publishing of the MMO Darktide and the shooter Sine Mora.

"Calypso Media has lost a highly respected leader and friend. In his 16 years at the helm, Simon consistently inspired those around him with his dedication to his team, the company, and the industry as a whole. His great vision and endless enthusiasm knew no bounds and will be sorely missed by the Calypso Media family and his friends in the industry."

With Helvig's planned succession, Dr. Annika Thun is now the Managing Director of Calypso Media. The company currently employs more than 200 people worldwide and has offices in Germany, the UK, France, Japan, and North America. Current projects include Tortuga: A Pirate's Tale, Tropico 7, and the new Commandos film.