Overview
- Friends and colleagues, including Heidi McDonald and Brian Fargo, confirmed her passing on social media on November 17.
- Heineman’s final GoFundMe update said further treatment was pointless and asked that donations support a funeral to be arranged by her daughter, Cynthia Elizabeth Heineman.
- She first gained recognition by winning the 1980 US Space Invaders championship, which led to a programming job at age 16 with Avalon Hill.
- In 1983 she co-founded Interplay and later worked on influential titles such as The Bard’s Tale III and Wasteland, while also founding Logicware and Contraband Entertainment and holding senior roles at EA, Ubisoft Toronto, and Sony.
- A transgender advocate honored with Gayming Magazine’s 2025 Gayming Icon award, she was remembered across the industry, and her final messages paid tribute to her late wife, designer Jennell Jaquays.