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Fergus McGovern, the ‘80s whizzkid behind developers Probe and Hotgen, has passed away.

McGovern found success at an early age when he co-founded Probe Software (later Probe Entertainment) in 1984.

The company quickly secured licences for arcade games and film spin-offs, counting Mortal Kombat, Alien, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, OutRun and FIFA Soccer among its strong catalogue, which scored seven Christmas top spots.

After selling Probe to Acclaim in 1995 – the same year he was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Golden Joysticks – McGovern went on to co-create toys and games firm Hotgen. He later re-launched Probe in 2010.

Outside the world of video games, McGovern was a member of toy firm Jakks Pacific’s board, associate director at Crystal Palace football club and an active fundraiser and charity worker, for which he was awarded the Freedom of the City of London.

He also executive-produced the video games documentary ‘From Bedrooms to Billions’.

McGovern’s sudden death is believed to have been caused by a cerebral blood clot as the result of a transatlantic flight at the weekend. He was just 50.

He leaves behind his wife, Deanna, and their three children: Abby, Ryan and Ella.