"Father of The Elder Scrolls" Julian LeFay has passed away, and his team say his "legacy will live on in every realm, every quest, and every moment of wonder" in the upcoming fantasy RPG The Wayward Realms

News
By published

"He touched the lives of millions of players worldwide and inspired countless developers to push creative boundaries"

julian lefay working on his pc at his desk
(Image credit: The Games Machine)

Julian LeFay, dubbed the father of The Elder Scrolls due to his prominent positions working on Arena and Daggerfall, passed away yesterday, July 22, 2025, aged 59, after a "courageous battle with cancer." The studio he co-founded, OnceLost Games, states his passing is "an immeasurable loss for our team, our community, and our industry."

LeFay was so influential at Bethesda, a company he joined shortly after its formation, that the Elder Scrolls deity Julianos is named after him. He later co-founded OnceLost Games with fellow former Bethesda developers Ted Peterson and Vijay Lakshman, announcing the fantasy RPG The Wayward Realms in 2021.

Issy van der Velde
Issy van der Velde
Contributor

I'm Issy, a freelancer who you'll now occasionally see over here covering news on GamesRadar. I've always had a passion for playing games, but I learned how to write about them while doing my Film and TV degrees at the University of Warwick and contributing to the student paper, The Boar. After university I worked at TheGamer before heading up the news section at Dot Esports. Now you'll find me freelancing for Rolling Stone, NME, Inverse, and many more places. I love all things horror, narrative-driven, and indie, and I mainly play on my PS5. I'm currently clearing my backlog and loving Dishonored 2.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.