Andrew Clifford Greenberg (1957 – August 28, 2024) was an American video game developer and patent attorney. He co-created ''

Wizardry Wizardry may refer to: * ''Wizardry'' (video game series), role-playing video game series, originally published by Sir-Tech ** '' Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord'', the first game of the series, released in 1981 * ''Wizardry'' (The ...

'' with

Robert Woodhead Robert J. Woodhead (born 1958 or 1959) is an American entrepreneur, software engineer and former game programmer. He is the co-creator of the ''Wizardry'' franchise, and the co-founder of both the video game publishing company Sir-Tech and ani ...

, one of the first

role-playing video game Role-playing video games, also known as CRPG (computer/console role-playing games), comprise a broad video game genre generally defined by a detailed story and character advancement (often through increasing characters' levels or other skills) ...

s for a

personal computer A personal computer, commonly referred to as PC or computer, is a computer designed for individual use. It is typically used for tasks such as Word processor, word processing, web browser, internet browsing, email, multimedia playback, and PC ...

. He was also involved with the production of the game ''

Q*bert ''Q*bert'' () is a 1982 Action game, action video game developed and published by Gottlieb for Arcade video game, arcades. It is a Video game graphics, 2D action game with Puzzle video game, puzzle elements that uses Isometric video game gr ...

'' and several of the later ''Wizardry'' games in the 1980s. He was a graduate of

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

, where he did his first work on role-playing video games. He also was a proficient tuba player. With Rick Dutton, Walter Freitag, and Michael Massimilla he created Star Saga One: Beyond the Boundary & Star Saga: Two - The Clathran Menace, in and respectively. Both were released by Masterplay Publishing. The name of the evil wizard in the first ''Wizardry'' game is

Werdna Wizardry may refer to: * ''Wizardry'' (video game series), role-playing video game series, originally published by Sir-Tech ** '' Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord'', the first game of the series, released in 1981 * ''Wizardry'' (The ...

, ''Andrew'' spelled backwards. After working as a

patent attorney A patent attorney is an attorney who has the specialized qualifications necessary for representing clients in obtaining patents and acting in all matters and procedures relating to patent law and practice, such as filing patent applications and o ...

with

Carlton Fields Carlton may refer to: People and fictional characters * Carlton (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname * Carlton, a pen name used by Joseph Caldwell (1773–1835), American educator, Presbyterian mini ...

, a law firm in

Tampa Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, Andrew moved to

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

where he served as an executive and general counsel for a renewable energy company. Greenberg was a past Chairman of the

Intellectual Property Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, co ...

Committee for the

IEEE The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is an American 501(c)(3) organization, 501(c)(3) public charity professional organization for electrical engineering, electronics engineering, and other related disciplines. The IEEE ...

, and has received the Institute's National Citation of Honor. Greenberg had married Sheila McDonald, a play-tester of the ''Wizardry'' series, and had two children. Robert Woodhead and

David Mullich David Mullich (; born ) is an American game producer and designer. He created the 1980 adventure game ''The Prisoner'', produced the 1995 adaptation ''I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream'', and developed ''Heroes of Might and Magic III'' and '' ...

reported that Greenberg died on August 30, 2024, at the age of 67.

References

1957 births 2024 deaths American patent attorneys American video game designers Cornell University alumni Florida lawyers {{Florida-bio-stub