Fallout writer Scott Bennie dies

Aged 61.

News by Tom Phillips Editor-in-Chief

Updated on 31 Mar 2022

Scott Bennie, a writer and contributor to the original Fallout, has died aged 61.

Bennie served as a designer, writer and producer of numerous games during his time at Interplay in the 1990s, including The Lord of the Rings, Starfleet Academy, plus Starfleet Command and its sequel.

On Fallout, Bennie memorably said his career had peaked with the popular naming of its canine companion, Dogmeat.

"I didn't have that much to do with Fallout. A few maps, some bits of the Hub, and some system messages. And the Mysterious Stranger Perk," Bennie told Steemit in 2017 (thanks, PC Gamer). "And I named Dogmeat - if anything endures of my writing career, it will be the name of that dog."

Away from video games, Bennie has subsequently been a successful tabletop game designer, working on RPG versions of The Lord of the Rings and World of Warcraft, as well as work for Dungeons & Dragons, Marvel Superheroes and Champions.

Bennie reportedly passed away this week due to complications from pneumonia.

Numerous former colleagues have paid tribute to Bennie via social media - we've included a few responses below.

I was saddened to hear that Scott Bennie died today. He was a brilliant writer who worked with us at Interplay on some true classics like Star Trek: Judgment Rites and Starfleet Academy. RIP.https://t.co/fkCSVYDdFI
— Brian Fargo (@BrianFargo) March 30, 2022

My dear friend, Robert "Scott" Bennie, has passed away from a bout of pneumonia. He was a great game designer and writer. I will miss him.
— Rebecca Heineman (@burgerbecky) March 29, 2022

I’m sad to hear of the passing of my old friend Scott Bennie, who I met through the wonderful, tight-knit community of Hero Games designers back in the early 1990s. He was a sharp man, full of neat ideas, and bumping into him at a convention was always a highlight of that week.
— Matt Forbeck (@mforbeck) March 29, 2022

My friend and former coworker, the game designer Scott Bennie, has died from complications from pneumonia. His Champions work was groundbreaking. I hope he knew the esteem in which people held him.
— Colin McComb (@ColinMcComb) March 29, 2022

Woke to the sad, but expected news of Scott Bennie’s passing. He was a genius RPG creator (tabletop and PC), and a friend for nearly 30 years. Life was cruel to his body, but his words soared like his superhero, Thundrax. His Gestalt-Earth, for Champions is still brilliant. 1/
— Theron Bretz (@tfbretz) March 29, 2022

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