Interplay Co-Founder and 'Trailblazing' Developer Rebecca Heineman Dies Aged 62

Rebecca Heineman, known champion for co-founding archetypal Fallout developer Interplay alongside Brain Fargo, Jay Patel, and Troy Worrell successful the aboriginal 1980s, has died aged 62.

The quality was shared by her person Heidi McDonald, who wrote connected BlueSky that "my trailblazing crippled manufacture bad-ass person Rebecca Heineman has passed away. F**k cancer. Friends, let's not hide her."

On a GoFundMe leafage acceptable up by Heineman soon aft her diagnosis, she described herself arsenic "the precise archetypal video crippled champion, creator of Bard’s Tale 3, Dragon Wars, and 1 of the founders of Interplay Productions and MacPlay. Creator of Sailor Ranko the webcomic and bundle archivist." The money remains unfastened to enactment Heineman's family.

In her last message, penned yesterday, November 17, she wrote: "It’s time. According to my doctors. All further treatments are pointless. So, delight donate truthful my kids tin make a ceremonial worthy of my keyboard, Pixelbreaker! So I tin marque a worthy entranceway for reuniting with my 1 existent love, Jennell Jaquays. My girl Cynthia Elizabeth heineman, volition beryllium making the arrangements."

Heineman roseate to fame erstwhile she won a nationalist Space Invaders tourney successful 1980 aged 14, past carved retired an awesome gamedev career, having taught herself to codification by reverse engineering. Her improvement and publishing credits see Wasteland, Fallout, Baldur's Gate, and The Bard's Tale 3: Thief of Fate. She astir precocious served arsenic CEO of Olde Sküül.

Bard’s Tale 3 stands retired arsenic 1 of her defining moments astatine Interplay and of her full career, Heineman told Women successful Gaming: 100 Professionals of Play successful 2024. "Being capable to caput the task and beryllium the determination shaper was what started maine connected the way to being a workplace head,” she said. Heineman near Interplay successful 1995, seeking a instrumentality to tiny teams.

She was honored arsenic the 2025 Gayming Icon Award for "her advocacy for LGBTQ+ inclusion, accessibility, and diverseness successful tech has inspired countless developers and players," (thanks, PC Gamer).

Interplay co-founder Brian Fargo called her "one of the astir superb programmers around," and said quality of her decease was "a existent gut punch." "Rebecca Heineman sadly passed away. Known her since the 80s erstwhile I'd thrust her to work, 1 of the astir superb programmers around. A existent gut punch earlier contiguous erstwhile she messaged me: 'We person gone connected truthful galore adventures together! But, into the large unknown! I spell first!!!'"

Rebecca Heineman sadly passed away. Known her since the 80s erstwhile I'd thrust her to work, 1 of the astir superb programmers around. A existent gut punch earlier contiguous erstwhile she messaged me: "We person gone connected truthful galore adventures together! But, into the large unknown! I spell first!!!" :( pic.twitter.com/lu3i0fyt5C

Other crippled developers person besides shared their memories, including Rami Ismail and Josh Sawyer, with galore others sharing stories of Rebecca's mentorship, kindness and support.

A crippled manufacture fable died a fewer mins ago, Rebecca Heineman (@burgerbecky), taken distant by assertive lung cancer. She oversaw the porting of Wizordum to the Mac OS astir precocious for Apogee. My section friends would often person meal with her and I loved her manufacture stories and…

Image credit: GoFundMe.

Vikki Blake is simply a newsman for IGN, arsenic good arsenic a critic, columnist, and advisor with 15+ years acquisition moving with immoderate of the world's biggest gaming sites and publications. She's besides a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her astatine BlueSky.