Rebecca Heineman, Interplay co‑founder and pioneering developer, dies at 62
Rebecca Heineman, a veteran programmer and co‑founder of Interplay Entertainment, has died at 62 after a recent diagnosis of adenocarcinoma. Her passing was shared by friends and colleagues, and her GoFundMe page detailed her illness and final updates.
Heineman’s career spanned decades: she won the Atari 2600 Space Invaders championship in 1980, started programming professionally as a teenager, co‑founded Interplay in 1983, and later founded Contraband Entertainment. She worked on notable titles and ports including The Bard’s Tale III and Mac ports of major games, and held senior engineering roles at multiple major studios.
Career highlights
- Atari 2600 Space Invaders champion (1980) and early entry into professional programming.
- Co‑founder of Interplay (originally Interplay Productions) in 1983, contributing to classic RPGs.
- Founder of Contraband Entertainment; worked on Mac ports of Aliens vs. Predator and Baldur’s Gate II.
- Senior engineering roles at Electronic Arts, Ubisoft Toronto and Sony Computer Entertainment America.
Legacy and impact
Heineman was a notable figure in the early video‑game industry, both for her technical work and her role in shaping teams and tooling that brought major games to new platforms. Her work on RPGs, engine programming and platform ports helped preserve and expand the reach of influential titles.
Friends noted her resilience and creative contributions; her final public update mentioned that further treatments were considered pointless and that donations would help arrange a funeral. She also publicly remembered her late wife, Jennell Jaquays, who died in 2024.
For more on Rebecca Heineman’s life and career, see contemporary reports and tributes (opens in a new tab): Engadget coverage · Rock Paper Shotgun.
Discussion: What Rebecca Heineman game or contribution stands out to you — and how do you think her work shaped the games you love?