Andrew C. Greenberg

{{Short description|American video game developer and patent attorney (1957–2024)}}

{{For|the {{noitalic|Vampire: The Masquerade}} and {{noitalic|Fading Suns}} game designer|Andrew Greenberg}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Andrew Clifford Greenberg

| image =

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| birth_name = Andrew Clifford Greenberg

| birth_date = {{Birth year|1957}}

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| death_date = {{Death date and given age|2024|08|30|67}}

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| occupation = {{hlist|video game developer|patent attorney}}

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| known_for = Wizardry

| notable_works =

}}

Andrew Clifford Greenberg (1957 – August 28, 2024) was an American video game developer and patent attorney. He co-created Wizardry with Robert Woodhead, one of the first role-playing video games for a personal computer.{{cite web | url = https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/andrew-greenberg-co-creator-of-the-influential-wizardry-series-of-rpgs-has-died/ | title = Andrew C. Greenberg, co-creator of the influential Wizardry series of RPGs, has died | first= Ted | last = Litchfield | date = {{date|2024-08-31|MDY}} | accessdate = {{date|2024-08-31|MDY}} | work = PC Gamer }}{{cite book|last=Bateman|first=Chris|title=Imaginary Games|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UDXNzYw3YRwC&pg=PA288|accessdate={{date|2012-06-03|MDY}}|date={{date|2011-11-16|MDY}}|publisher=O Books|isbn=9781846949418|page=288}} He was also involved with the production of the game Q*bert and several of the later Wizardry games in the 1980s. He was a graduate of Cornell University, 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 {{date|1988|MDY}} and {{date|1989|MDY}} respectively. Both were released by Masterplay Publishing.

The name of the evil wizard in the first Wizardry game is Werdna, Andrew spelled backwards.

After working as a patent attorney with Carlton Fields, a law firm in Tampa, Florida, Andrew moved to San Francisco, California where he served as an executive and general counsel for a renewable energy company. Greenberg was a past Chairman of the Intellectual Property Committee for 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 reported that Greenberg died on August 30, 2024, at the age of 67.{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/madoverlord/posts/8270753369641433|title=It is with great sadness that I mark the passing of my dear friend, the Evil Wizard Werdna.|date={{date|2024-08-30|MDY}}|access-date={{date|2024-08-30|MDY}}|website=Facebook|last=Woodhead|first=Robert|archive-url=https://archive.today/20240831095643/https://www.facebook.com/madoverlord/posts/8270753369641433|archive-date={{date|2024-08-31|MDY}}}}{{cite tweet |user=David_Mullich |number=1829574742686548110 |title=I am saddened to learn of the passing of game designer Andrew Greenberg. I never had the pleasure of meeting Andrew in person, but his landmark role-playing game series Wizardry was a joyful and influential part of my life in the 1980s. Rest in peace, Werdna! }}