Roberta Williams, American video game designer, co-founded Sierra Entertainment
Roberta Williams (née Heuer; born February 16, 1953) 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, and became credited as the first graphic adventure game. She is also known for her role in 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, and Roberta took a brief sabbatical. She 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 travelling and writing historical fiction.
Several publications have named her as one of the best or most influential creators in the game industry, with several calling her the "Queen of adventure games". She has received the Industry Icon Award from The Game Awards, and the Pioneer Award at the 20th Game Developers Choice Awards. In 2021, she announced her plans to return to game development, with a game called The Secret.