MediEvil is one of PlayStation’s lesser-used franchises these days, and now one of its key creators is selling his entire archive of art due to “the protracted situation trying to obtain video-game work.”
As the art director, Jay Gunn was one of the key members of the team on 1998’s MediEvil. In the past, Gunn has shared a bit of his work on the cult-classic game, but now he’s selling a massive collection of game design work.
In a thread on Twitter, Gunn says, “It is with a heavy heart that I have decided to sell my entire archive of art and gameplay design for “MediEvil.” This was work that I undertook as the game’s lead game designer, art director, concept art, level design, co-writer and voice/actor director.”
Apparently, the need to sell this work was brought on by how hard it is to find steady work in the video game industry, as Gunn notes interviews can span 3 months in some cases. This has led to financial woes that have forced Gunn’s hand.
“Some HR departments tend to get confused by my eclectic career. And interviews can take anything from a month to two months,” says Gunn “The cost of living crisis hammered me this winter, and the protracted interview processes drain my finances.”
It’s disappointing to see someone with as significant a legacy as Gunn struggle to find work, but it’s indicative of a big problem in the industry at large. Many publishers and companies rely heavily on contract work from project to project, creating a lack of reliable full-time positions. Over the years, various outlets, including Polygon and Bloomberg, have extensively reported on the topic.
Gunn notes that the cost of his collection won’t be cheap, and he can’t use the option of publishing the designs as a book as PlayStation holds the rights to MediEvil, and even if the company published something, he’d receive no royalties.
The last entry in the franchise was in 2019, with a reboot simply titled “MediEvil.”
