By Former Bethesda dev had battled cancer
Julian LeFay, the man often referred to as “the father of the Elder Scrolls” and co-founder of the indie developer OnceLost Studio, has passed away after a years-long battle with cancer. The announcement was made by his studio earlier today on social media. He was 59 years old.
LeFay was instrumental in the early days of Bethesda’s RPG history, back when the likes of Daggerfall was laying the foundations for what was to come from the studio in the likes of Oblivion and Skyrim.
In the post, OnceLost said that he was “not just a colleague, he was a visionary who fundamentally shaped the gaming industry as we know it today.”
LeFay numerous credits include programming lead on Arena and Battlespire, project lead on Daggerfall, as well as having credits on The Elder Scrolls Redguard and Morrowind.
He also worked as a composer and designer on games such as Wayne Gretzky Hockey (which came to NES) and music on the DOS Where’s Wally? game.
LeFay’s daughter also shared a poignant statement, saying “Thank you for supporting his vision and giving him hope and strength until the end”.
The studio addressed how this tragedy will affect work on its upcoming RPG, The Wayward Realms, and it’s quite emotional reading:
“He touched the lives of millions of players worldwide and inspired countless developers to push creative boundaries. Julian’s legacy will live on in every realm, every quest, and every moment of wonder that players will experience in The Wayward Realms.”
Our thoughts are with LeFay’s friends and family, and he will be missed by many in the industry.
[source x.com]
PJ is a staff writer across Hookshot Media. He’s been playing video games pretty much nonstop since the early 1980s, which is ages ago. Favourite genres include RPGs, puzzle games and lovely big single player adventures of all kinds. The weirder the better.