Rebecca Heineman, esports and game development trailblazer, passes away at age 62

Jack Stewart, Senior Editor

Last Updated: 18/11/2025

Rebecca Heineman, winner of the first large-scale esports tournament and accomplished game developer, has passed away following a battle with cancer at the age of 62.

In a life which both inspired games and was inspired by them, Heineman served as a trailblazer of women and trans people in the video games industry.

Heineman was a subject of an episode of Netflix’s documentary series, High Score, where she discussed the importance of gaming for her self-identity, stating, “It allowed me to be myself. It allowed me to play as female.”

At 17 years of age, Heineman claimed the National Atari 2600 Space Invaders Championship in 1980, outscoring her competition in the arcade title.

The victory predated the term esports, or the modern industry that now surrounds it, but was a significant event in the formative years of competitive gaming.

The popularity of the Atari 2600 and Space Invaders drove unprecedented interest in the championship, drawing over 10,000 competitors to the event.

The achievement made Rebecca the first winner of a large-scale esports event. The experience deepened Heineman’s love of gaming.

Heineman would go on to pursue game development as a profession, founding Interplay alongside Brian Fargo, Jay Patel, Chris Wells, and Troy Worrell.

She would go on to design titles such as The Bard’s Tale III: Thief of Fate, Dragon Wars, and Mindshadow, while also working on ports for popular titles such as Half-Life, and Battle Chess.

Her Doom port for 3DO became the stuff of industry legend, due to the challenges which Rebecca overcame to produce it, despite the port underperforming financially.

She then founded Contraband Entertainment in 1999, which also developed in-house titles, and ported dozens of titles for popular franchises such as Baldur’s Gate, Heroes of Might and Magic, and Command & Conquer.

Later, she founded Olde Skuul alongside industry veterans, Jennell Jaquays, Maurine Starkey, and Susan Manley, where she served as CEO until her passing.

Rebecca Ann Heineman held a GoFundMe campaign for her cancer treatment, which will now be used to pay for funeral costs. She is survived by five children and a titanic legacy in the space that will continue to live on and inspire others.

Jack Stewart, Senior Editor

In my seven years of esports writing, I've introduced esports coverage to newspapers, interviewed some of the biggest names in the industry, and driven viewers mad with the puns in my YouTube scripts. I'm most proud of the latter.

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