Stick Run team confirms creator Manuel Otto has died at 30

A developer remembered by his community

Marc-Manuel Alexander Otto, the German developer known for creating Stick Run, has died at 30, the game’s team confirmed in a statement shared Oct. 21. People independently reported the announcement. The team identified Otto by his full name and described him as both the game’s creator and a member of its player community. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

The tribute focused on the friendships and memories formed around the game. It recalled players competing for high scores, playing together and growing up with Otto’s work. The team expressed condolences to those affected and thanked him for creating an experience that remained meaningful to former players. Its confirmation of his death followed an earlier, more tentative statement about a reported livestream. ^{[2] [6]}

Otto created Stick Run in 2010 when he was 14, CNN Brasil reported. The browser game became associated with Facebook’s era of social gaming, challenging players to guide a stick figure along an obstacle course. That simple format helped make the game recognizable to a generation of players. The team’s farewell emphasized those shared experiences rather than offering an account of Otto’s final moments. ^{[7] [2]}

What the team and platform said

In its initial statement, Stick Run said it was aware of a Twitch broadcast involving Otto in which he appeared to have taken his own life, according to Dexerto’s reproduction of the announcement. That description is attributed to the game’s team; it is not presented here as a settled police classification. The team asked people to respect privacy, avoid unverified information and contact authorities with relevant information. ^[6]

Twitch told Global News it removed Otto’s channel and recording to prevent further viewing. People separately reported the platform’s response and said Twitch provided no further details about what occurred. The removal of the material does not independently establish the circumstances of his death. ^{[3] [4]}

Police account remained preliminary

A separate Oct. 21 police statement reproduced by regional outlet Rosenheim24 described a fatal incident in Breitbrunn am Chiemsee, Bavaria, the previous evening. Police said the deceased was highly likely to be the 30-year-old resident, but final identification was still outstanding. Rosenheim criminal investigators were continuing their work with prosecutors. That account did not publicly name Otto or establish an official cause of death. ^[5]

Merkur likewise reported that formal identification was pending and that investigators had found no indication of another person’s involvement at that stage. That preliminary finding should not be converted into a definitive suicide ruling. The confirmed company announcement and the still-qualified police account answer different questions: the former identifies the developer whose death it announced; the latter documents an investigation that was not yet complete. ^{[8] [2]}