'Father of Elder Scrolls' steps back from game development because of cancer: 'We are preparing to say goodbye to a true legend of the industry'

Julian LeFay, a programmer and chief engineer at Bethesda until his departure in 1998, is stepping back from game development and his current project, The Wayward Realms. LeFay has been suffering from cancer for several years and, per CEO of OnceLost Games Ted Peterson, has made the decision "for his health and to live his final moments surrounded by his loved ones."

Peterson announced the news in a video, accompanied by some reminiscing about how the pair's careers have intertwined. "I first met Julian LeFay in 1992 when I came in, barely out of college, to interview for a junior writer position at Bethesda Softworks," says Peterson. "I had never been in a game development company before, and when I left Julian said, 'If you get the job, you have to lose the suit.'"

LeFay was "an eccentric figure" and "very tall and slender, scruffily handsome with a default scowl, and the most magnificent pompadour mullet in history." He was "a hotshot hacker style programmer" with a particular love for pen-and-paper roleplaying games, "and the game that eventually became the Elder Scrolls 1: Arena was his dream project."

Peterson has previously spoken about LeFay being the driving force behind the first Elder Scrolls, which began as more of a combat-focused title before the team added more and more roleplaying elements. This is what led some to dub LeFay "the father of the Elder Scrolls," and he would also work on The Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall and The Elder Scrolls: Battlespire, before leaving Bethesda in 1998.

"I could tell stories about our friendship and how we’ve worked together recently with our team on Wayward Realms as creative and technical directors, but I need to come to the point of this," says Peterson. "Julian has been courageously battling cancer. His doctors have informed us that his time with us is limited, and we are preparing to say goodbye to a true legend of the industry.

"Even in the face of this challenge, Julian’s dedication to The Wayward Realms and to all of you, our community, has never wavered. He has worked tirelessly to ensure that his vision for 'The Grand RPG' will live on, but now Julian must step away from OnceLost Games for his health and to live his final moments surrounded by his loved ones."

Peterson invites people to share "thoughts, prayers, well wishes, memories, or the impact Julian’s life and work have had on you. Your words of support mean more than you know, not just to Julian, but to all of us who have been privileged to work alongside him.

"Obviously, the team has already had a chance to say goodbye and give their individual messages, and I sat by his hospital bed, reading them to him. In that case, I was reading them out loud and Julian was giving me dictation to reply back, which is rather hard to do through my tears."

It is obvious from the video that this is deeply personal and distressing news for Peterson to deliver. He ends with "a final quote from the eminently quotable Julian LeFay" from the last meeting the team had with him.

"It is personal," said LeFay. "And if it’s not personal, then you’re just doing work for hire and you’ll never have the motivation to accomplish a significant goal."