Prince also worked on the games Wolfenstein and Duke Nukem.
Video game composer and sound designer Bobby Prince has died. An obituary states that Prince died on June 16 at the age of 81 following an illness. The developer’s ID software shared the news of Prince’s death.
Rest in peace to video game music pioneer Bobby Prince.
Your music lives on forever. pic.twitter.com/8LAT6CGZ5Y– id Software (@idSoftware) June 19, 2026
Prince was perhaps best known for his pioneering work on the Doom series. The Library of Congress entered the original game’s soundtrack into the National Recording Registry last month.
“Despite the limitations of 1993’s sound card drivers, Prince composed the perfect accompaniment for the game’s demon-slaying journey to Hell and back,” the Library of Congress said. “Taking advantage of his knowledge of MIDI, Prince even ensured that the sound effects he created could cut through the music by assigning them to different MIDI frequencies.”
Prince has also worked on games such as Wolfenstein 3D, Rise of the Triad And Duke Nukem 3D. In 2006, the Game Audio Network Guild honored Prince with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
“Everyone at Romero Games is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Bobby Prince,” Loss John Romero, co-designer and co-founder of id Software, wrote about X. “He left an incredible mark on games and on my life.”
