Developer Julian LeFay, a key cog in the early days of Bethesda and the development of classic Elder Scrolls RPGs Arena and Daggerfall, has died. His passing was announced by OnceLost Games, the studio he co-founded in 2019, and follows a years-long battle with cancer.
LeFay stepped away from his most recent development post as technical director at OnceLost, where he’d been working on Daggerfall-inspired RPG The Wayward Realms alongside fellow Bethesda veteran Ted Peterson, last week. OnceLost revealed at the time that this was due to his cancer worsening, writing that LeFay’s doctors had informed them “his time with us is limited”.
In a statement on LeFay’s passing aged 59, the studio’s team wrote that the Danish-born developer “was not just a colleague – he was a visionary who fundamentally shaped the gaming industry as we know it today” and praised his “unwavering commitment to pushing the boundaries of what RPGs could achieve”.
“Throughout his courageous battle with cancer, Julian never wavered in his passion for The Wayward Realms,” they added, “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 joined Bethesda as a programmer in 1987, and was a key influence on many other RPGs through his work on Elder Scrolls. He was programming lead on Arena and Battlespire, project leader on 1996’s legendary Daggerfall, and is credited on The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard and Morrowind. According to Peterson, his name was also an inspiration for Tamriel’s god of wisdom and logic, Julianos.
LeFay also served as director and chief programmer on Bethesda’s The Terminator and follow-up The Terminator 2029 back in those early days. He largely disappeared from the spotlight after leaving Bethesda, working on various projects including some with Sega, before being dragged back in via an interview with YouTuber Ian Phoenix in 2017, which snowballed into LeFay and Peterson deciding to team back up on an RPG that’d be a worthy successor to the likes of Daggerfall.
That led to OnceLost’s founding in 2019 and a Kickstarter for The Wayward Realms. As Peterson and the studio’s staff wrote when they revealed LeFay had stepped away from work on the game, their plan is to keep on developing their RPG in a fashion that matches his vision for it.
Thanks to LeFay for all of his contributions to the medium and all the best to those he leaves behind.
