Posted on July 26, 2025
Thanks for everything, Julian
Julian LeFay (nee Benni Jensen) served as Bethesda’s chief engineer and lead programmer through Arena, Daggerfall, and Battlespire, and later worked as a contractor on Morrowind. Among other achievements which shaped our culture, Julian cofounded OnceLost Games and in 2021 the upcoming project The Wayward Realms was announced.
Last week, Julian LeFay left his body after enduring a lengthy diagnosis of cancer. But let’s remember him as Julianos, the Elder Scrolls god of logic and wisdom, the ruler of Literature, Law, History, and Contradiction, and who created Pelinal Whitestrake’s Shield of the Crusader. This character was based on Julian. The “eye” of the Elder Scrolls constellation The Mage is a planet called Julianos, and Stendarr orbits it as its moon. This is where it is said Julianos himself resides, a plane of existence that cannot be understood by mortals. These anecdotes speak volumes of the respect and admiration that followed Julian, as well as the impact his work carried. Julian LeFay was a cosmic architect of our collective mythos. Thanks, for every beautiful thing you gave us.