Roberta Williams | |
|---|---|
 Roberta Williams in 2022 | |
| Born | Roberta Lynn Heuer February 16, 1953 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Video game designer, writer |
| Known for | |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Website | |
Roberta Lynn Williams (née Heuer; born February 16, 1953)[1][2] is an American video game designer and writer, who co-founded Sierra On-Line with her husband, game developer Ken Williams. In 1980, her first game, Mystery House, became a modest commercial success; it is credited as the first graphic adventure game. She is also known for creating and maintaining the King's Quest series, as well as designing the full motion video game Phantasmagoria in 1995.
Sierra was acquired by CUC International in 1996, leading to layoffs and management changes. Williams took a brief sabbatical, and returned to the company in a game design role, but grew increasingly frustrated with CUC's creative and business decisions. After the release of King's Quest: Mask of Eternity in 1998, she left the game industry in 1999 and focused her retirement on traveling and writing historical fiction. In 2021 she released her historical novel, Farewell to Tara. Soon after, she returned to game development with the 3D remake of the classic adventure game Colossal Cave Adventure, released in January 2023 as Colossal Cave.
Several publications have named Roberta Williams as one of the best or most influential creators in the video game industry, for co-founding Sierra, pioneering the graphic adventure game genre, and creating the King's Quest series. Several publications have called her the "Queen of adventure games". She has received the Industry Icon Award from The Game Awards, and the Pioneer Award at the Game Developers Choice Awards.
- ^ Fish, Charlie (May 30, 2021). The History of Video Games. White Owl. pp. 44–46. ISBN 978-1-5267-7900-7.
- ^ Givens, Linda Holden (November 27, 2019). "Williams, Roberta Lynn (b. 1953)". HistoryLink. Retrieved November 13, 2022.