Julian LeFay, the father of The Elder Scrolls series, is leaving the video games industry following a terminal cancer diagnosis.

In a new message shared by Ted Peterson, co-founder of OnceLost Games and Creative Director of The Wayward Realms, an open-world RPG that was also being worked on by the father of one of the most popular RPG series around, confirmed that Julian LeFay is leaving the gaming industry due to a terminal cancer diagnosis. The heartfelt message goes over how the two met, their work on The Elder Scrolls series, and how development of their new game continued even as Julian LeFay was battling cancer courageously, documenting his vision and concepts well to ensure the team was left with the resources needed to complete the game even beyond its Early Access build. We extend our best wishes to Julian LeFay and his loved ones, and our deepest respect to his legacy, which will not be forgotten by anyone who experienced the games he has worked on.

Julian LeFay joined Bethesda shortly after the company’s creation in 1987, holding the role of Chief Engineer for many years before quitting the company for good in 1998. Among the games he has worked on, as already mentioned, are the first entries in The Elder Scrolls series, Arena and Daggerfall, as well as Battlespire. He also worked on the third entry in the series, Morrowind, as a contractor before leaving Bethesda. In 2019, he co-founded OnceLost Games with Ted Peterson, whose first game, The Wayward Realms, is a spiritual successor to Daggerfall.