One of the true pioneers of the video game industry has left us: Rebecca Heineman, co-founder of Interplay and a brilliant programmer behind countless classics, has died at the age of 62. She had been diagnosed with an aggressive adenocarcinoma and had long been warned by doctors that her time was limited.

Today, the games industry bids farewell to one of its great legends. Rebecca Heineman, co-founder of the iconic Interplay and a remarkable programmer, has passed away at 62. Back in October, she revealed that she was suffering from an aggressive adenocarcinoma (a type of cancer that secretes substances) and launched a GoFundMe campaign to help cover the mounting medical bills. Sadly, the disease continued to advance and has finally claimed the life of a historic figure in our medium.

Heineman shared her diagnosis with the public a few weeks ago, but it was through a recent update on her GoFundMe page that she confirmed there were no remaining treatment options. “It’s time,” she wrote on the site just hours before her passing. “According to my doctors, any further treatment is useless. So please donate so my kids can prepare a funeral worthy of my keyboard, Pixelbreaker! That way, I can make a triumphant entrance to reunite with my one true love, Jennell Jaquays.” Jaquays, her partner, passed away in 2024.

A Historic Figure In The Games Industry

Rebecca Heineman’s name is anything but obscure for players who grew up with video games between 1983 and 2015, as she helped shape a long list of titles during that period. As a programmer, she was one of the minds who laid the foundations of Interplay alongside Brian Fargo, Jay Patel, Chris Wells, and Troy Worrell, building a company that would go on to create the legendary Fallout saga and publish other major RPGs such as Baldur’s Gate.

Heineman was not only a gifted coder, but she also had the drive to build studios from the ground up. She left Interplay in 1995, preferring to return to smaller teams rather than remain in a corporation with more than 500 employees. Afterwards, she founded Logicware, Contraband Entertainment, and Olde Sküül, where she ultimately served as CEO from 2013 until her death, all while staying closely involved in development work.

Her résumé is as long as it is impressive. She took part in the development of Wasteland and The Bard’s Tale, handled the Mac OS and 3DO ports of Wolfenstein 3D (among many other tasks), designed The Bard’s Tale III: Thief of Fate, and oversaw ports of titles like Baldur’s Gate 2 and Heroes of Might and Magic IV. That expertise led her to roles such as senior software architect at Amazon – where, as a trans woman, she also played an active part in the company’s LGBTQ+ program – as well as trainer on Xbox 360 development. She even contributed to kernel-level code on the PSP and PS4.

Heineman also left her mark with solo efforts, including the now-legendary saga of what she had to endure to deliver a working DOOM port on 3DO – a wild story involving empty promises from executives and even a brief intervention by the church. We are saying goodbye to someone who helped bring countless games to life and left an indelible mark on the history of video games. Rest in peace, Rebecca.

Source: 3djuegos