Well, it’s time to call off the search. Dave Cummins, the designer, writer and composer of the classic adventure game
Beneath A Steel Sky, is no longer missing. It turns out he passed away in 2008.
His old boss Paul Cooper, who gave him his first gig in the games industry as his assistant, had been in contact with Dave’s younger brother and wrote me to let me in on the sad news. I’m not sure how he died, but he was living in Hull and unfortunately had been cursed with deteriorating health.
You may have noticed from the credits in
Steel Sky that Dave also wrote all the music for the game - and I distinctly remember him telling me, all those years ago, that he was really unhappy with the way his score had been MIDI-fied for the PC DOS version. Some of you may not know this (I didn’t), but Dave also played guitar in a rock band in the late 70’s called
The Red Shift. Paul has uploaded a few of the recordings they made back then here:
https://soundcloud.com/theoriginalredshift
It’s been really special getting to know some of Dave’s old friends and colleagues, as well as other
Steel Sky fans who were similarly anxious to find out whatever happened to Dave. My big, big thanks to Jai Redman, who worked at Software Studios with Dave; Richard Gallagher, whom Dave named a character after in
Steel Sky;and Andre Rosso and Charles Cecil. And also to
the lads at RPGcodex who helped in the search.
Those who knew Dave describe him as fiercely anti-authority but with a kind heart, hand perpetually curled as if he was always playing air guitar. He left Revolution Software on acrimonious terms, but Charles Cecil professed an interest to mend their relationship and offer him a chance to be a part of
Steel Sky 2.
As I have often said, Dave was a troubled genius - he may have been pretty damning of me, and we didn’t always see eye to eye, but I totally respect - and now miss - his intelligence and talent.
Charles Cecil
R.I.P. Dave Cummins. Wish I could’ve picked the dude’s brain some more. Now I’ll never get the chance.
