Manuel Otto dies at 30 after apparent Twitch livestream suicide

Manuel Otto, the 30-year-old German creator of Stick Run, died after an apparent suicide during a Twitch livestream on Tuesday, NBC News reported Oct. 22, citing Twitch and colleagues.

Otto’s reach was unusually broad for a game first made by a 14-year-old high school student: Stick Run began as a free Facebook game and later became an Android and Apple app played by tens of millions.

The Stick Run Team confirmed the death on Facebook on Wednesday, using Otto’s full name, Marc-Manuel Alexander Otto. “It is with a heavy heart that we confirm and announce the passing of our creator, developer, and fellow Stick Runner, Marc-Manuel Alexander Otto,” the team posted.

An earlier post from the Stick Run Team said Otto “appeared to take his own life” during a livestream, according to NBC News. Twitch, in an emailed statement to NBC News, said it “moved quickly to remove the channel and Video on Demand (VOD) to prevent it from being viewed by others.”

“What took place is horrible, and the mental health and wellbeing of our community matters deeply to us,” a Twitch spokesperson said. “We encourage anyone who may be struggling to seek support.”

NBC News cited German outlet Bild as reporting that Otto’s body was found Tuesday after authorities responded to reports of a fire in an attic room at a property in Breitbrunn am Chiemsee, a village in Bavaria.