https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/legendary-game-designer-programmer-space-invaders-champion-and-lgbtq-trailblazer-rebecca-heineman-has-died/ [] Skip to main content (*) ( ) Open menu Close main menu PC Gamer PC Gamer THE GLOBAL AUTHORITY ON PC GAMES US Edition flag of US UK EditionUK US EditionUS CA EditionCanada AU EditionAustralia Subscribe Sign in * * View Profile * Sign out [ ] Search Search PC Gamer [ ] * * Black Friday * Games * Hardware * News * Reviews * Guides * Video * Forum * More + PC Gaming Show + Software + Movies & TV + Codes + Coupons + Magazine + Newsletter + Affiliate links + Meet the team + Community guidelines + About PC Gamer PC Gamer Magazine Subscription PC Gamer Magazine Subscription Why subscribe? * Subscribe to the world's #1 PC gaming mag * Try a single issue or save on a subscription * Issues delivered straight to your door or device From$32.49 Subscribe now Don't miss these Videogame programmer Rebecca Heineman sitting in home office with clasped hands addressing camera. Gaming Industry First US videogame champion, legendary programmer, and Interplay co-founder Rebecca Heineman is fundraising to help with funeral expenses after cancer treatments prove ineffective Stylized illustration of deceased videogame writer Andrew Dice, sourced from his bio page on the Carpe Fulgur website. Gaming Industry Writer Andrew Dice, whose work helped popularize Japanese indies like Recettear in the West, has died Ryo Hayabusa from Ninja Gaiden. 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Sim 'The shining star of losers everywhere' who inspired one of Umamusume's most popular horse girls has passed away Popular * New Valve hardware * Best PC gear * Arc Raiders * PC Gaming Show * Quizzes 1. Gaming Industry Legendary game designer, programmer, Space Invaders champion, and LGBTQ trailblazer Rebecca Heineman has died News By Ted Litchfield published 18 November 2025 Heineman's cancer fundraiser is now collecting for her funeral. * * * * * * * Comments (0) () When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here's how it works. Videogame programmer Rebecca Heineman sitting in home office with clasped hands addressing camera. (Image credit: Rebecca Heineman via YouTube) Game developer Rebecca Heineman has died after being diagnosed with cancer last month. The news was shared to Bluesky by Heineman's friend, Heidi McDonald, while the most recent post on Heineman's GoFundMe is a goodbye message stating that her health was rapidly deteriorating, and she was entering palliative care. Heineman was 62, and the GoFundMe will remain live to help her family make final arrangements. Born in 1963, Heineman initially made a mark on the industry by winning a national Space Invaders tournament in 1980 in New York, becoming the first formally recognized US champion of any videogame. She went on to have a far-reaching career, being credited on 67 games according to MobyGames. Heineman co-founded Interplay in 1983 alongside Brian Fargo, Jay Patel, and Troy Worrell. The developer and publisher was the source of many foundational PC games, including Wasteland, Fallout, and Baldur's Gate. Heineman designed and programmed a number of games at Interplay, with her most prominent design credit being The Bard's Tale 3: Thief of Fate. Heineman's friend and colleague from Interplay, Brian Fargo, shared a remembrance of the developer on X. "Rebecca Heineman sadly passed away," Fargo wrote. "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!!!'" Later, in the '90s and 2000s, Heineman made a name primarily as a programmer, particularly on ports like the Macintosh versions of Wolfenstein 3D, Baldur's Gate, and Icewind Dale. The saga of Heineman overcoming a deranged businessman to solo program the ill-fated 3DO port of Doom in mere weeks has become a bit of an internet legend: Here's Digital Foundry and Heineman herself recounting the tale. 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!!!" :( pic.twitter.com/lu3i0fyt5CNovember 17, 2025 Heineman publicly came out as transgender in the 2000s, and was married to fellow games industry legend Jennell Jaquays. Heineman was the recipient of Gayming's 2025 Gayming Icon award, with the site writing that "her advocacy for LGBTQ+ inclusion, accessibility, and diversity in tech has inspired countless developers and players." Jaquays died of complications from Guillain-Barre syndrome in January 2024, and Heineman was blindsided last month by an aggressive cancer diagnosis. She turned to GoFundMe to help with the costs of treatment, where fans, friends, and industry peers showed up to support the developer. The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team. [ ][ ]Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands[ ]Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors[Sign me up] By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Heineman shared the message last night that her health was rapidly declining. "It's time. According to my doctors. All further treatments are pointless," Heineman wrote. "So, please donate so my kids can create a funeral worthy of my keyboard, Pixelbreaker! So I can make a worthy entrance for reuniting with my one true love, Jennell Jaquays." Game developers have begun sharing their own condolences and remembrances in the wake of Heineman's death. 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. -- @jesawyer.bsky.social (@jesawyer.bsky.social.bsky.social) 2025-11-18T00:17:03.191Z A game industry legend died a few mins ago, Rebecca Heineman (@burgerbecky), taken away by aggressive lung cancer. She oversaw the porting of Wizordum to the Mac OS most recently for Apogee. My local friends would often have dinner with her and I loved her industry stories and...November 17, 2025 What a remarkable human, and what a remarkable thing to know that she passed bemused at reading her own eulogies. Rest in peace, Rebecca. Thank you for everything. -- @ramiismail.com (@ramiismail.com.bsky.social) 2025-11-18T00:15:53.662Z Rebecca was in my life because she reached out to me, a stranger, because she'd caught wind of a layoff I was impacted by. Her achievements were great, and so too was her kindness. -- @jyoungman.bsky.social (@jyoungman.bsky.social.bsky.social) 2025-11-18T00:15:53.699Z Rest well, you legend, you pioneer, you wonderful soul. I'm lucky to have known you, though briefly. Please share her legacy by reposting Heidi's message. -- @caseymongillo.bsky.social ( @caseymongillo.bsky.social.bsky.social) 2025-11-18T00:15:53.712Z in the early 2000s Rebecca took the time to chat over IRC with a teenaged and gender-confused Me on the practicalities of transition - in a time where being out as trans online was something that could get you socially ostracized. I owe her a lot for that and only hope I can pay it forward. -- @moomanibe.bsky.social (@moomanibe.bsky.social.bsky.social) 2025-11-18T00:15:53.675Z 2025 gamesBest PC gamesFree PC gamesBest FPS gamesBest RPGsBest co-op games 2025 games: This year's upcoming releases Best PC games: Our all-time favorites Free PC games: Freebie fest Best FPS games: Finest gunplay Best RPGs: Grand adventures Best co-op games: Better together Ted Litchfield Social Links Navigation Associate Editor Ted has been thinking about PC games and bothering anyone who would listen with his thoughts on them ever since he booted up his sister's copy of Neverwinter Nights on the family computer. He is obsessed with all things CRPG and CRPG-adjacent, but has also covered esports, modding, and rare game collecting. When he's not playing or writing about games, you can find Ted lifting weights on his back porch. You can follow Ted on Bluesky. Show More Comments You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name. Logout Read more Videogame programmer Rebecca Heineman sitting in home office with clasped hands addressing camera. First US videogame champion, legendary programmer, and Interplay co-founder Rebecca Heineman is fundraising to help with funeral expenses after cancer treatments prove ineffective Stylized illustration of deceased videogame writer Andrew Dice, sourced from his bio page on the Carpe Fulgur website. Writer Andrew Dice, whose work helped popularize Japanese indies like Recettear in the West, has died Ryo Hayabusa from Ninja Gaiden. Tomonobu Itagaki, the Tecmo genius behind Team Ninja, has died at the age of 58 Seth's boss battle from Silksong alongside Seth Goldman's original drawing Silksong players are leaving condolences for the family of a late Hollow Knight fan who created a boss for the game before dying of cancer in 2020 Hyper Light Breaker characters standing on glowing platform looking toward camera Still in early access, Hyper Light Breaker's ending development and laying off staff: 'This was not our ideal path, but rather the only one available given the circumstances' T-Minus Zero Entertainment logo in new colour scheme One of the studios NetEase killed earlier this year is back from the dead as an 'independent production company,' but its original boss is nowhere to be seen Latest in Gaming Industry Scuba diver in Subnautica 2 Krafton CEO allegedly asked ChatGPT to help him find a way out of paying Subnautica 2 devs their bonuses because he wanted to avoid the 'professional embarrassment' of being seen as a 'pushover' Geoff Keighley celebrating the reveal of Black Myth: Zhong Kui with an unfolded fan at Gamescom Opening Night Live 2025. 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