Legendary Cover Artist Bob Wakelin Passes Away

The legendary artist behind some of the most iconic video game box art of the 80s and 90s, Bob Wakelin, has passed away. His name might not be that familiar, but you’d always recognize his art for video games of the 8 and 16-bit era.

The artist is best remembered for his work at a UK publisher Ocean, but he has also worked on art for well-known franchises such as Batman and Star Wars.

His path began in the era of the Spectrum and Commodore 64 when Bob created covers for Daley Thompson’s Decathlon, Where Time Stood Still, Wizball, Head Over Heels and then switched to 16-bit computers and consoles to work on games such as Batman, Wizkid, Mr. Nutz, and Kick Off 2. You just can’t forget his covers for Rastan, The New Zealand Story, Midnight Resistance, Gryzor (aka Contra), Operation Wolf, Renegade, and Rainbow Islands.

Sadly, a lot of his cover art has been forgotten over the years, but every fan of retro gamers still remembers his legendary works.

Farewell Bob Wakelin.