Stick Run’s team says creator Manuel Otto appeared to take his own life during a Twitch livestream. Here’s what is known and what remains unconfirmed.
Stick Run creator Manuel Otto appeared to have taken his own life during a Twitch livestream on October 20, the game’s official account said in a statement. The team added that it understood Twitch had removed the broadcast and the accompanying video.
Otto, reported to be 30, developed the Facebook game as a teenager, turning a stick figure’s obstacle course into a multiplayer hit. The team has asked players to respect the privacy of those involved as questions remain about what happened on Tuesday evening.
Team Asks Players to Avoid Speculation
Stick Run’s statement described a broadcast involving its creator and owner in which he “appeared to have taken his own life.” It did not give further details about the incident.
The account expressed concern for those affected and urged followers not to spread unverified claims. It also asked anyone with information about the circumstances to contact the team or local law enforcement.
Meanwhile, police in Bavaria were investigating a fatal fire in an attic apartment in Breitbrunn am Chiemsee that same evening. Investigators believed the victim was the apartment’s 30-year-old occupant, although his identity had yet to be confirmed in reports published on October 21.
Police had not named Otto or linked the fire to the Twitch broadcast. Regional newspaper Passauer Neue Presse reported that investigators were examining the cause of the blaze. Initial inquiries found no indication that another person was involved.
Otto Created Stick Run at Just 14
Long before the reports surrounding the livestream, Otto had made his name with a game that needed little explanation: keep running, clear the obstacles and try to beat your friends. One badly timed jump could end an attempt; starting another took barely a moment.
He released Stick Run on Facebook in 2010, aged 14. In a 2013 interview with the Chiemgau-Zeitung, Otto said he had spent around four months developing it, teaching himself the skills he needed through experimentation. The newspaper reported that the game had reached roughly 43 million players worldwide.
Multiplayer races and an item-trading marketplace gave that simple premise a social life of its own. Players could customize their characters, compete with one another and negotiate trades, with the community helping determine what virtual items were worth.
The project soon became a business. Otto’s father helped run the company while his son was still at school, and a publishing partnership brought Stick Run to smartphones.
Despite that early success, the 17-year-old interviewed in 2013 was still thinking about exams. He wanted to concentrate on school, had ideas for more games and hoped to travel after graduating.
Following Tuesday’s broadcast, the team behind the game he built has asked the community to give those affected privacy while it seeks more information about the incident.