Colin Kroll, the co-founder of the famous "
HQ Trivia" game and the "
Vine" video app, was found dead at age of 34 in his New York City apartment on Sunday.
According to TMZ. Officers found him unconscious and unresponsive on his bed.
His body reportedly was found with "drug paraphernalia" in his downtown Manhattan apartment. The medical examiner's office was working to determine the cause of death.
In recent years, Kroll was named the CEO of HQ. The game live-streams short trivia contests and quickly became popular after it was released in 2017.
Company staffers confirmed Kroll's passing on Twitter Sunday, writing that their "thoughts go out to his family, friends and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time."
The HQ statement read: "We learned today of the passing of our friend and founder, Colin Kroll, and it's with deep sadness that we say goodbye. Our thoughts go out to his family, friends and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time."
The company confirmed Mr Kroll's age after police had initially said 34.
In 2017, Kroll founded Intermedia Labs, the company behind HQ Trivia, along with his partner from Vine, Rus Yusupov. Some saw HQ Trivia as groundbreaking because it dictated users' engagement with it, as a live game show playable once or twice a day for roughly 15 minutes. Players answer rounds of trivia questions, and a cash prize is split among the winners, though it usually amounts to just a few dollars.
At its peak, the game frequently drew more than half a million players per round, but recent months have seen a steep drop-off in users. The company has since struggled to secure funding — in part because investors were unsettled by Kroll’s past conduct, Recode reported — and expand with new games. Kroll was named chief executive in August with hopes that he could guide the company to further success.
HQ host Scott Rogowsky stood solemnly in a black suit as he paid tribute to Kroll during Sunday night’s HQ game. Rogowsky described Kroll, or “CK” as he was known at HQ, as a “true visionary” who made his mark on the tech industry. He also stressed that Kroll was a good man and co-worker.
