@itstherespawn: Legendary game designer Rebecca Heineman has passed away, aged 62. Heineman, who was diagnosed with cancer last month, had entered palliative care following a deterioration in health, a post on her GoFundMe stated. The fundraiser will remain live to collect donations towards her funeral. Heineman first made a name for herself after winning the 1980 national Atari 2600 Space Invaders championship, believed to be the first national video game tournament champion. Following her victory, Heineman was hired as a programmer for Avalon Hill at just 16 years old. After leaving Avalon Hill, Heineman became a programmer on Wasteland, The Bard’s Tale, and the Mac OS and 3DO ports of Wolfenstein 3D. She would later go on to be the designer of games such as The Bard's Tale III: Thief of Fate, Dragon Wars, and Mindshadow. Heineman co-founded Interplay in 1983 alongside Brian Fargo, Jay Patel, and Troy Worrell. Fargo shared the news of Heineman’s passing in a post on X, saying, “Rebecca Heineman sadly passed away. Known her since the 80s when I'd drive her to work, one of the most brilliant programmers around. A real gut punch earlier today when she messaged me: 'We have gone on so many adventures together! But, into the great unknown! I go first!!!'" Heineman was married to fellow game designer, Jennell Jaquays, best known for her work on Pac-Man and Quake. Jaquays passed away in January 2024 due to complications from Guillain–Barré syndrome. Fellow game designers have shared messages following the news of Heineman’s passing, including Josh Sawyer, project director of Fallout: New Vegas and Pillars of Eternity: “Rebecca was one of the founders of Interplay and programmed & designed for some of the most influential games of my youth, notably Bard's Tale I & III and Wasteland. She will be missed,” Sawyer’s post read. #gaming #gamingnews #rpg #doom #baldursgate

Ashley :

Seeing that her wife passed last year, hopefully they’re together again, wherever they are ❤

xThinkBank :

One of the great minds behind the video game Wastelands and also the core inspiration for the legendary franchise FALLOUT.

jagg :

this is pioneer, it's sad.

CeagleGlat :

rest in peace

jr .richardson :

They way she said: “ We’ve gone on so many adventures together. But into the great unknown! I go first!!!” She seems like she was the sweetest friend a person could ask for… RIP

Bakhcha :

whos that no name, guy should have performed better 😭

Arthur Roderick 🇨🇿 :

who that?

awesomebrandon00 :

I wish I’d known who she was sooner. Video games mean so much to me rip

Emma Planas🏳️‍⚧️ (lesbian) :

Thank you so much for showing the world that we trans woman deserve a space in gaming. Thank you for one of my favorite games of all time, which a played a lot on my Mac G3, Bugdom! Rest easy queen! 😢😭🏳️‍⚧️

Maru Lein :

I didn’t know her… but damn 🥺

Sean Martin :

what happened

🇮🇪LunaDejay🇺🇦🍉 :

whys everyone dying this year😢

Syndicate :

Rest in peace 🙏 thank you for your contributions to gaming Rebecca Heineman, we would’ve never had Fallout without you

Sr.tomatefeliz🏴‍☠️🏳️‍🌈 :

LunarHavok :

RIP 😞🕹️💔💔💔

hai my name is Neil :

i hope she gets to explore even more in the afterlife, If there's one 🖤

Sniffgriff :

She did the insane DooM 3do port! Rest in peace

Silva. :

rest in peace

Jacob :

dudemanbro01 :

62…not even old enough to draw retirement…remember that kids…

afinedaytowander :

Just watched her on High Score on Netflix the other day

king_squishy07 :

This actually hurt me.

Chip Dyhmund :

R.I.P. legend 💔

CliffTheSilly :

Heineman? Was she related to a Jamie would she?

Snackyyz :

REST IN PEACE - REBECCA THE GOAT