Syberia video game author Benoit Sokal dies

Belgian video game artist Benoît Sokal, best known as the creator of the Syberia series, has died at the age of 66. His death was reported by Microids, the publisher of Syberia.

Sokal started his career as a comic book writer. In particular, he created a comic strip about Inspector Canardo, a depressive duck detective who is addicted to alcohol.

In 1996, Sokal started working on video games. His first project was the Amerzone quest, and in 2002 the first of the Syberia series of games was released. Sokal also worked on its next parts. The latest and fourth part of the franchise - Syberia: The World Before - is still in development, its release is scheduled for 2021.

The artist also created Paradise, Sinking Island, Nikopol: Secrets of the Immortals quests. They were released by his own studio White Bird Productions, which worked in 2003-2011.