Alec Holowka died this past Sunday morning. Reported by Gamesindustry.biz, Holowka’s death was announced through a Twitter post by his sister Eileen Mary Holowka. In this Twitter post, we learned a little about Holowka, including more on his background and personal struggles.
Alec Holowka made up a third of the indie-developer Infinite Fall who are behind the acclaimed title Night in the Woods. He worked as a co-designer, composer and coder.
Infinite Fall had recently severed ties with Holowka, also canceling a project, due to the recent controversy surrounding him. This involved the recent allegations of emotional abuse and sexual assault that Holowka had been accused of this past week.
Holowka’s Statement:
In the aforementioned Twitter post, Eileen Holowka wrote:
“Those who know me will know that I believe survivors and I have always done everything I can to support survivors, those suffering from metnal illnesses and those with chronic illnesses.
“Alec was a victim of abuse and he also spent a lifetime battling mood and personality disorders. I will not pretend that he was not also responsible for causing harm, but deep down he was a person who wanted only to offer people care and kindness. It took him a while to figure out how.
“Over the last few years, with therapy and medication, Alec became a new person — the same person he’d always been but without any of the darkness. He was calm and happy, positive and loving. Obviously, change is a slow process and it wasn’t perfect, but he was working towards rehabilitation and a better life.”
Afterward, she thanked the services and people who supported Alec Holowka over the past week. Eileen Holowka also made it clear that people should not use this news to harass others.
Finally, I offer my best wishes to the family and hope they get the space they need to recover.