Julian LeFay – who oversaw multiple Elder Scrolls games as chief engineer at Bethesda, and is often referred to as the ‘father’ of the series – is stepping back from game development to spend his “remaining time with his family and loved ones” following his cancer diagnosis.
LeFay joined Bethesda shortly after its founding in 1987, and worked on the likes of The Elder Scrolls: Arena in 1994 and its 1996 sequel Daggerfall, before departing the company in 1998. LeFay briefly returned for The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind, and pursued various other ventures before setting up independent studio OnceLost Games with fellow Elder Scrolls alumni Ted Peterson and Vijay Lakshman in 2019. Since then, the studio has been working on The Wayward Realms, an open-world RPG announced in 2021.
News of LeFay’s departure from the project, and from game development as a whole, was announced in an emotional video addressed to The Wayward Realms community on YouTube. “Our technical producer Julian LeFay, who I’m sure needs no introduction, has been fighting a battle with cancer for the last several years,” creative producer Victor Villarreal explained. “He’s fought bravely and strongly but it seems he doesn’t have very much time left. He has stepped away from the project to spend that remaining time with his family and loved ones.”
Villarreal also invited fans to “share any words, thoughts, or memories you might have of Julian, as well as any well-wishes you might have for his family.” He noted the studio would discuss how the news impacts The Wayward Realms at a later date, adding: “It is something we’ve been preparing for. Julian has made his vision of the game very clear to the team and we will work tirelessly to bring that vision to life.”
A separate, lengthier statement from LeFay’s long-time friend and colleague Ted Peterson was shared alongside the video. “I could talk stories about our friendship and how we’ve worked together recently with our team on Wayward Realms as creative and technical directors,” Peterson wrote, “but I need to come to the point of this. 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.”
“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,” Peterson continued. “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… To me, this is deeply personal, and I regret every second I didn’t spend with one of the most charming, smart, funny, and interesting people I’ve ever met. It’s also a spur to action for me: I will not let down his legacy.”
“That said,” Peterson concluded, “a final quote from the eminently quotable Julian LeFay. He said this at our last team meeting, and I believe it represents him and his beliefs well. ‘It is personal. 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.'”
OnceLost also shared a follow-up message from LeFay’s daughter Shae on its social media page. “The best any of us can hope for is to leave this life and know that we have made a positive impact,” she wrote. “That is my dad’s greatest motivation to this very day. We are truly grateful for the outpouring of love and support since the announcement was made.”
“It has reinvigorated both myself and my father and given us a sense of peace in stressful times, knowing of the impact he has made on all of you. Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, everyone. We will continue to read the comments to keep our sprits up in the days ahead.”