Ex-Elder Scrolls developer Julian LeFay has stepped away from his role as technical producer on The Wayward Realms due to an ongoing battle with cancer taking a turn for the worse. OnceLost Games, the studio LeFay’s been working with for the past few years, say they’ve been informed by his doctors that “his time with us is limited”.
The developer’s best known for his work on the first two Elder Scrolls games, Arena and Daggerfall, alongside The Wayward Realms creative director Ted Peterson. The pair gave a talk together at 2024’s GDC delving into those early days at Bethesda, and the RPG they’ve been working on at OnceLost since 2019 is very much aiming to recapture Daggerfall’s vibes.
OnceLost Games shared the news of LeFay stepping away via a statement from Peterson and a YouTube video from Wayward Realms creative producer Victor Villarreal.
“Julian has been courageously battling cancer,” reads Peterson’s statement, “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.” It continues as follows:
Even in the face of this challenge, Julian’s dedication to The Wayward Realms and to all of you, our community, has never wavered. He has worked tirelessly to ensure that his vision for “The Grand RPG” will live on, but now Julian must step away from OnceLost Games for his health and to live his final moments surrounded by his loved ones.
Julian has complete faith in the ability of the team to bring the game he has envisioned to life for this incredible community. Anticipating this possibility, Julian has documented his vision and concepts well, ensuring the team is left with the resources needed to complete the game. The full game, beyond the Early Access build.
During this difficult time, we invite you to share your thoughts, prayers, well wishes, memories, or the impact Julian’s life and work have had on you. Your words of support mean more than you know, not just to Julian, but to all of us who have been privileged to work alongside him.
Peterson closed out the statement by sharing something LeFay said during the most recent OnceLost team meeting he attended: “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.”
As the team intended, the comments on the video are filling up with folks wishing LeFay well and sharing how his work’s touched their lives. Villarreal reiterated that this is an eventuality OnceLost have been preparing for, and while LeFay’s understandably their focus right now, they’ll share “more details on how it affects the projects” in the future.
