Project Zomboid modder Michael Shtudiner, known among the survival game’s community as ‘Stendo Clip,’ has reportedly died at the age of 26. Shtudiner was one of the co-creators of ‘Vanilla Firearms Expansion,’ a widely used and beloved mod that adds extra weapons to Project Zomboid. According to a fundraising page published by Shtudiner’s family, Shtudiner died on Monday February 17.
Katherine Shtudiner, Michael’s sister, writes that “he had just gotten a new job and he was working on some really cool 3D models that he was excitedly showing off to his friends. Michael was hilarious and made the funniest facial expressions. He made a constant effort to reach out to and connect with people. He was the most honest person and would tell it like it is no matter what. He was so loved and he’s going to be missed so, so much by his friends and family.” ‘Vilespring,’ a fellow Project Zomboid modder and co-creator of Vanilla Firearms, shares a post on the survival game’s dedicated Reddit.
“I’ve tried writing this a few times now, so I will just go at it as bluntly as possible,” they say. “The founding author of the mod, Stendo Clip, has passed. He had the vision of the mod, and it was that vision I wanted to further when I started contributing to VFE. This tragedy has not only blindsided his family, but they are also short on funding for his funeral.
“I feel like I really should say more about that but I’ve been coming up blank, not to mention I don’t think it’s my place to say more. I’ll miss you Michael, you absolute legend.”
Shtudiner’s family is seeking donations here.
More than one million Project Zomboid players have subscribed to the Vanilla Firearms Expansion mod on Steam. Vilespring says that they plan to continue working on the mod and will create an updated version to work with Zomboid’s latest build, build 42.