Diego Argüello, Contributing Editor, News, GameDeveloper.com
July 23, 2025
3 Min Read
Picture via GDC 2024 Archive
Julian LeFay, best known as Bethesda Softworks’ chief engineer for pioneer games like The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall, passed away last night at the age of 59.
OnceLost Games, a studio led by LeFay and former Bethesda Softworks designer and writer Ted Peterson, shared the news in a statement via X (formerly Twitter). “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,” the team wrote.
LeFay and Peterson started the studio back in 2019, with its first project being an open-world RPG called The Wayward Realms serving as a spiritual successor to Daggerfall. The team ran a Kickstarter campaign back in 2024, which was fully funded during its runtime. OnceLost has been working on an Early Access build since.
“At OnceLost Games, Julian was one of the masterminds behind The Wayward Realms, bringing decades of expertise and an unwavering commitment to pushing the boundaries of what RPGs could achieve,” the statement continues. “His technical brilliance, creative vision, and dedication to player agency have been the driving forces behind our ambitious project.”
Last week, the team shared a video announcing that LeFay had been courageously battling cancer for some time now. His doctors informed his colleagues and family that his time with them was limited, and they were preparing to say goodbye to, in their words, “a true legend of the industry.” He then stepped away from the studio to live his final moments surrounded by his loved ones.
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“Without Julian, we would not be here today”
Coloquially referred to as the “Father of the Elder Scrolls,” LeFay held the role of chief engineer at Bethesda Softworks throughout the production of not just Daggerfall, but also The Elder Scrolls: Arena and An Elder Scrolls Legend: Battlespire. After quitting Bethesda in 1998, he worked briefly on The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind as a contractor. LeFay also had a short stint at Sega and lent a hand during the production of the fighting game Skullgirls. Outside of games, LeFay joined Licorice in 2021, acting as chief technology officer of the professional services automation company.
Bethesda Game Studios also released a statement on LeFay’s passing, calling him “the driving force” in the creation of The Elder Scrolls and the foundations of Bethesda Softworks.
“Simply put, without Julian, we would not be here today. If you had the opportunity to work with Julian, you were blessed to know a one-of-a-kind force of nature, who pushed everyone to create something special.”
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LeFay’s daughter Shae Jensen also shared a message on behalf of his family on the studio’s Kickstarter page. In it, they describe how much the community’s support around The Wayward Realms meant to him. The message also encourages people who want to show their love for him to continue supporting the team, and if they see fit, to make a donation to any charities supporting the Ukrainian war efforts, which LeFay cared deeply about in his final years. “He would rest well knowing that his passing will contribute to the causes he felt so strongly about,” reads the message.
As for OnceLost, the team said that LeFay’s vision for The Wayward Realms is “deeply embedded in every aspect of our development team,” with technical frameworks, design philosophies, and direction being “carefully documented” and shared with colleagues. As such, the team is committed to bringing that vision to fruition.
“Ted Peterson, Eric Heberling, and our entire development team remains fully dedicated to this mission,” the statement reads. “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.”
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About the Author
Contributing Editor, News, GameDeveloper.com
Diego Nicolás Argüello is a freelance journalist and critic from Argentina. Video games helped him to learn English, so now he covers them for places like The New York Times, NPR, Rolling Stone, and more. He also runs Into the Spine, a site dedicated to fostering and supporting new writers, and co-hosted Turnabout Breakdown, a podcast about the Ace Attorney series. He’s most likely playing a rhythm game as you read this.
