German Game Developer Manuel Otto, Creator of Stick Run, Dies at 30 After Twitch Livestream
The Facts
- Manuel Otto, a German video game designer and influencer, apparently took his own life during a Twitch livestream; he was 30. NBC News only
- Twitch said it moved quickly to remove the channel and the video on demand (VOD) to prevent others from viewing it. NBC News only
- According to Bild, as reported by NBC News, his body was found Tuesday after authorities responded to reports of a blaze in an attic room of a property in Breitbrunn am Chiemsee, Bavaria. NBC News only
- The Stick Run Team confirmed his death on Facebook on Wednesday, naming him Marc-Manuel Alexander Otto; an earlier team post said he appeared to take his own life in a livestream. NBC News only
- Videos of the livestream posted online appear to show Otto setting himself on fire. NBC News only
Dive deeper · 2 more factsShow less
- Otto created Stick Run at age 14 and launched it on Facebook in 2010; it was later released as an Android and Apple app. NBC News only
- According to Dexerto, Stick Run has been played by more than 43 million people worldwide. NBC News only
Context
German game developer Manuel Otto, creator of the Facebook game Stick Run, died at 30 after apparently taking his own life during a Twitch livestream, according to Twitch and his colleagues.
His body was found Tuesday in Breitbrunn am Chiemsee, Bavaria, after emergency responders were called to a fire, per Bild. Twitch removed the channel and recording.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 in the US to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
How the Agent Panel Scored This
Independent AI personas each scored importance 1–10; the story's score is a trimmed mean (highest and lowest votes dropped). Vote spread: 1.
| 4 | News Editor | This is a tragic death of a niche game developer with limited broad impact, though the livestream and platform response give it some notable newsworthiness beyond routine local news. |
| 3 | Informed Citizen | This is a tragic death of a moderately known indie game creator, with limited broader impact on ordinary people beyond platform moderation concerns and wider discussion of livestream safety. |
| 3 | Business Analyst | This is a tragic death of a niche indie game developer with limited market or economic impact, though it involves a platform moderation response from Twitch and notable public attention. |