The Elder Scrolls Julian LeFay has died aged 59 following a battle with cancer. Along with Vijay Lakshman and Ted Peterson, LeFay was one of the original creators behind the video games developed by Bethesda Game Studios.
Le Fay worked as a programmer and chief engineer at Bethesda until 1998 before co-founding independent studio OnceLost Games in 2019, with Lakshman and Peterson. Le Fay was helping create another role-playing game, The Wayward Realms, known as the spiritual successor to The Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall.
It was announced just last week that Le Fay had stepped away from the industry to spend time with love ones after he received a terminal cancer diagnosis.
Just five days later, OnceLost Games confirmed he had passed away following a "courageous" fight with the disease. The statement said: "It is with profound sadness and heavy hearts that we inform our community of the passing of Julian LeFay, our beloved technical director and co-founder of OnceLost Games.
"Julian LeFay was not just a colleague – he was a visionary who fundamentally shaped the games industry as we know it today. Known as the ‘Father of The Elder Scrolls’, Julian directed the creation of legendary titles including Elder Scrolls 1 & 2: Arena, Daggerfall, and Battlespire.
"His pioneering work established the foundation for open world RPGs and influenced countless developers and games that followed."
The statement continued: "Throughout his courageous battle with cancer, Julian never wavered in his passion for The Wayward Realms. Even during his illness, he continued to share his vision with our team, mentor our developers, and ensure that every aspect of the game reflected his commitment to creating something truly extraordinary. His strength, determination, and unwavering focus inspire us all."
LeFay’s passing was described as an "immeasurable loss" for the team, who are now "more committed than ever" to finish work on The Wayward Realms, in the hopes it becomes the "groundbreaking experience Julian knew it could be".
The studio went on: "Ted Peterson, Eric Heberling, and our entire development team remain fully dedicated to this mission. We will continue to share development updates, maintain our transparency with the community, and ensure that The Wayward Realms becomes the groundbreaking experience Julian knew it could be."
Bethesda described its former chief engineer as "the driving force in the creation of The Elder Scrolls and the foundations of Bethesda as a game studio," adding: "Without Julian, we would not be here today."
Born in Denmark in 1965, LeFay kickstarted his career working on Amiga and NES games, before becoming one of Bethesda's first employees in 1987.
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