Rebecca Heineman, a pioneering figure in the video game industry and co-founder of Interplay Productions, has died at age 62 after a brief battle with cancer, IGN reported .

Friends and colleagues confirmed her passing on Bluesky, describing her as a “trailblazing game industry bad-ass” and “one of the most brilliant programmers around,” IGN said.

According to Primetimer , Heineman first made headlines in 1980 when, at just 14, she won the national Space Invaders championship, becoming the first recognized U.S. video game champion. That victory launched a career spanning more than four decades, during which she co-founded Interplay in 1983 and helped create iconic titles like “Wasteland,” “Fallout” and “Baldur’s Gate.”

Beyond her programming achievements, Heineman was a vocal advocat

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