Gray also made a brief pivot late in his career to casual games such as Luxor series after FPS maker Ritual Entertainment was acquired by new parent company MumboJumbo. “It seems a bit of a shock at first, from the outside, that’s for sure,” he said of the surprise move in a 2007 interview. “Remember, though, that making games is making games, a dream job come true! … To be honest? … we really like doing something different from hardcore shooters, and the variations within the casual games market make us even more excited!”
Gone but not forgotten
Tributes from friends and colleagues have poured in online since news of Gray’s death broke. 3D Realms founder Scott Miller called Gray a “stellar talent” and “a hard worker, fun teammate, and overall great human. His levels in Duke Nukem 3D and Sin will live on forever.”
War equipment creator Cliff Bleszinski praised the “sense of place” that Gray’s levels could create in a game like Duke Nukem 3D. “Until now, few 3D shooters had it,” he wrote. “Instead of a generic hallway, you were in an identifiable location. To achieve this with such early and simple technology was a miracle.”
I loved the first episode of DN3D, but I was more drawn to E2 and E3 which had such distinctive designs. We’re going to miss you, man. You were one of the best.
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– John Romero (@johnromero.bsky.social) October 13, 2026 at 4:12 p.m.
John Romero of Id Software remembers Gray as a “great guy” who “was full of life, a gentle soul, and a great level designer. He was called ‘Levelord’ for a reason.”
“Richard was without a doubt one of the nicest people I have ever met in the video game industry,” wrote Frederik Schreiber, CEO of Slipgate Ironworks. “Incredibly humble, remarkably intelligent, endlessly creative, and always a joy to be around. Despite all he accomplished and the enormous influence his work had on my generation of game developers, he never presented himself as anything other than a genuinely good human being.”
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