Pioneering programmer Rebecca Heineman, who laid the groundwork for some of gaming’s biggest titles, has died. She was 62.

The trans programmer died on Monday (17 November) after a battle with adenocarcinoma, a cancer that starts in the glandular cells.

A friend, Heidi McDonald, wrote on BlueSky: “Trailblazing game industry bad-ass Rebecca Heineman has passed away. F**k cancer. Let’s not forget her.”

Heineman was best-known for co-founding games developer and publisher Interplay in 1983. The studio would go on to create some of PC gaming’s best-selling titles, including the Fallout and Baldur’s Gate series. She also helped develop early PC games, including The Bard’s Tale III: Thief of Fate.

Interplay co-founder Brian Fargo called her “one of the most brilliant programmers around” and said news of her death was a “real gut punch.”

Born in 1963 to working-class parents in Whittier, California, Heineman started programming at a young age, learning how to copy cartridges for her Atari 2600 because she couldn’t afford to buy the games.

Her first major accolade was winning the inaugural national Space Invaders tournament, in 1980.

She also worked on MacOS ports of Wolfenstein 3D, Icewind Dale and a cancelled Mac version of Half-Life and married fellow gaming pioneer, Jennell Jaquays, who died last year. Heineman is survived by five children.

When Heineman wasn’t making waves in the gaming industry, she was using her influence to improve the lives of LGBTQ+ people after coming out as trans in 2003. Her activism included working on the board of directors of advocacy organisation GLAAD.

In a final message on her GoFundMe, which raised more $158,000 (£120,000) to support her battle with cancer, Heineman wrote: “It’s time. According to my doctors, all further treatments are pointless. 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.”

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