Insomniac Games showed their respect to Captain Qwark, who had passed away, through an emotional post on social media, claiming “He’s a hero” over a character picture from Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. This post was in memory of the legendary voice actor of the character, Jim Ward, who had recently passed away, and the gaming community expressed their mixed feelings of sorrow and nostalgia in massive numbers.
However, Insomniac Games just literally placed this on the timeline. An image of Captain Qwark, the archetype of the hero who is also the voice behind the character of Ratchet & Clank, with the text ‘He is a heroine’ beneath it. At first, one could think it is a post of a newly dropped cool series. Nevertheless, the mood of the responses was completely different, in fact, it was rather heavy. That was not an arbitrary character appreciation post. It was a goodbye.
The picture is taken from the ending of Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart and that only adds to the heartache. Gamers who have finished the PS5 game will be able to identify the moment. The clarification happened in the comments. Gamers were talking not only about Qwark but also about Jim Ward, the legendary voice actor who just concluded his career with the captain’s loud, hilariously egocentric, and thus very recognizable delivery for over two decades. ‘RIP Jim Ward,’ one gamer wrote. ‘May you find peace in heaven, Jim,’ another added. The post quickly morphed from a playful hint to a digital memorial.
It is really amazing how just one single voice can completely characterize a given character. Qwark’s voice is nothing less than a delight to the ears of everyone who played Ratchet and Clank right from the beginning. This was their company: the ideal mixture of arrogance and vulnerability. One of the fans, NefariousLombax, remarked that a certain interaction featuring the character Quantum on the planet Ardolis would have been even funnier now but it also seems really different. ‘Just hits so much harder & different now,’ they said. Well, it is true! When you know the artist is no more, the art transforms.
The emotions expressed in the reactions were very varied, you know? Some comments paid their tributes. ‘Not all heroes wear capes… some wear spandex,’ was GoGoGorufu’s remark who, by the way, humorously captured the essence of Qwark. Others were quoting classic Qwark lines like ‘Got any crayons?’ – a deep-cut reference that only true fans would get. One user, Kessler Stormblade, was being very poetic and in-character: ‘Captain Qwark may be gone, but his indomitable spirit of heroism lives on in each of you… Carry on, men.’ This is corny but in a good way, just how Qwark would like it.
Nevertheless, as often happens on the internet, there was some initial misunderstanding and, unfortunately, a bit of negativity. A user named O Bravo Araújo mistook the post for a random promotional one and jokingly asked for a new game. He was very quickly and quite harshly corrected by his fellow gamers. ‘That’s not the point friend,’ was one reply. Another said, ‘Nah nigga you don’t deserve a new game.’ Ouch! Bravo Araújo later apologized several times: ‘I didn’t know what had happened, sorry,’ which really shows how easy it is to miss the context on a fast-moving platform like Twitter. Or X. Whatever we’re calling it this week.
Even underneath the posts of remembrance, the classic gamer hopes still shined through. ‘Been seeing a lot of Ratchet and Clank tweets from you guys,’ wrote ScottishDP. ‘Fingers crossed we get a Rivet game. Would love to turn into a huge robot and crush my enemies.’ It is a nice reminder that life and fandom go on. We grieve the loss, but we also look forward to the future of the series we cherish. Another player, meyerpark, even hinted at the possibility of more platforms for the games so that more people can ‘get to know of Qwark’s legacy.’ Not a bad idea at all.
What really catches the eye is the way Insomniac chose to handle it. There was no major press release. No sad blog post. Just a gentle, beautiful image of the character and three words. ‘He’s a hero.’ It is subtle but very powerful. It provides the community with an opportunity to create the tribute themselves in the replies through the sharing of their memories and their favorite lines. It seems more genuine that way, less corporate. They were aware that the fans would understand it right away.
