The transgender icon and co-founder of Interplay will be greatly missed.
Rebecca Ann Heineman, transgender icon and co-founder of Interplay, has tragically lost her battle against cancer.
Heineman took to GoFundMe in early October to seek help for her treatment after being diagnosed with adenocarcinoma following a loss of breath at PAX West.
Through a win at a Space Invaders tournament in New York back in 1980, Heineman encountered newfound fame after being named the first formal US champion of any video game. She followed up this achievement by co-founding Interplay with Brian Fargo, Jay Patel, Chris Wells, and Troy Worrell. At Interplay, she created titles including Dragon Wars and The Bard’s Tale 3.
In recent years, Heineman has put her famously-doomed (pun intended) 3DO port of Doom on GitHub, going into great detail on how rushed and ill-informed the project was.
Heineman remains a transgender icon, vocal about her own experience and providing hope and inspiration for others. In the Netflix documentary High Score, she explained why she connected with video games as a child, saying, “it allowed me to be myself. It allowed me to play as female.” She’s also served the queer community as a board member of GLAAD.
Tributes to Heineman are already flooding the internet.
“My trailblazing game industry bad-ass friend Rebecca Heineman has passed away,” wrote game writer Heidi McDonald. “Fuck cancer.”
McDonald also posted a link to Heineman’s Wikipedia page, adding, “friends, let’s not forget her.”
“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,” wrote Obsidian Entertainment’s Josh Sawyer. “She will be missed.”
“She lived her life in such a way as to leave a trail of joy in her wake next to a long list of creative accomplishments,” added former Bungie designer, Andrew Elmore. “She was a fixture in many communities and a titan in games history. Becky was the best kind of person.”
Friends, family, and those who’ve played her games are also leaving tributes attached to her last messages on social media platform BlueSky.
Heineman’s GoFundMe page is still active for those wishing to donate to her treatment costs and to assist family and friends with funeral expenses.
Heineman was predeceased by her loving partner, Jennell Jaquays, and has five children who will lovingly remember her.
Our hearts go out to those touched by Heineman and her work.
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