Game critic John 'TotalBiscuit' Bain dies after long battle with cancer

Game critic John Bain, known to millions by his moniker TotalBiscuit, died Thursday after a battle against cancer that lasted for years.

Bain, 33, was a popular and controversial voice in games media, always being very up front about his beliefs and opinions, sometimes to a fault. He was known primarily for his Cynical Brit game reviews on YouTube and hosting the Co-Optional Podcast as well as providing esports commentary for StarCraft II and Planetside 2.

Bain's passing was announced by his wife, Genna Bain, on Twitter.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Bain has been open about his illness, announcing that he had bowel cancer publicly in 2014. Although the cancer in his bowel had gone into remission, it metastasized and spread over the years to his liver and spine and ultimately caused his death.

Bain gave frequent updates to fans about his condition on social media and spoke at length about his cancer at various times over the years.

Throughout his career, Bain focused on coverage of PC games and indie games, often criticizing mainstream, big-budget games as being more focused on profit than on creating a worthwhile experience for players. He announced he was retiring from game criticism three weeks before he died.

Bain was also involved in propagating GamerGate, a misogynist campaign of harassment that primarily targeted women in the games industry as well as other journalists and developers who were perceived as feminist or social justice warriors. Supporters of GamerGate routinely harassed and threatened the lives of people in the games industry and media, which continues to happen today.

Despite his polarizing views and unwillingness to concede, Bain became one of the most popular and prolific critics in gaming, amassing over 2 million subscribers on YouTube.

Bain is survived by his wife, Genna, and his step-son Orion.