Obituary: ISM co-founder Clyde Grossman has passed away
Clyde Grossman, co-founder of Interactive Studio Management (ISM), has passed away.
The news was shared by Matthew Karch, CEO at Saber Interactive, via LinkedIn. "Clyde has passed away a couple of days ago," Karch wrote yesterday.
"Clyde and his partners at ISM at the time Bob Jacob and Stew Kosoy represented some of the best in the business—they sold Battlefield to EA, Eternal Darkness to Nintendo, led Digital Extremes to the eventual success of Warframe, helped Larian to become one of the leaders in the industry with the ultimate success of Divinity and Baldur's Gate."
ISM has been running for over 26 years. According to the official site, the agency specializes in "providing strategic advice to interactive entertainment clients" through a global team. This includes deal sourcing, strategic planning, contract negotiations, process management, and acquisition consultation. During this time, ISM has closed over 400 publishing deals with "major publishers and first party manufacturers."
"ISM helped countless developers succeed and thrive in an era where publishers held all the cards," Karch continues. The CEO adds that Grossman represented Saber for "many years" before his retirement. "They were like our parents in many ways, setting us up to succeed and making sure we never failed."
In his Moby Games profile, Grossman appears credited on 51 games. The list includes the likes of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, GoldenEye 007, and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.
Speaking about Grossman more personally, Karch deems him the person who turned his early ambition into an action plan.
"He never got (too) angry at me even when, as I am apt to do, I let my emotions get the best of me in dealings with publishers. When I was worried about cash flow, Clyde calmed me down. When I was upset that a deal was taking too long, Clyde had a way of putting [things] into perspective."
Karch continues: "He taught me things that I have never forgotten and always use: 'Never send an email on a Friday afternoon', 'If you are upset, write that angry email and put it in your drafts folder for 24 hours and then decide if you want to send it', 'The squeaky wheel gets clean (so don't wait for return calls).'"
Dan O'Leary, co-founder and CEO of n-Space for almost 22 years, replied to Karch's post. "ISM deserves much greater recognition in the industry, but I dont think that's what Clyde wanted. He started it to do the work. To help others. He was loved and will be missed."
Grossman was also the former vice president of product development for Sony Computer Entertainment of America, vice president of publishing for Microprose, and executive director of software development for Sega of America.
"I miss Clyde. I knew he wasn't well and something prevented me from calling him these past few months. I think I didn't want to hear him or remember him as sick. I know he was spiritual and so I know he hears this now," Karch concludes.
"I love you Clyde, and I thank you for keeping me sane and keeping me in business all these years. Thank you for being my friend and my mentor. Strangely, you never told me your age, no matter how many times I asked over the past several decades. And now you are timeless. Rest in Peace my friend."
