Robert Prince

Robert Caskin Prince III (March 12, 1945 – June 16, 2026) was an American video game composer and sound designer. He worked as an independent contractor for several video game companies, including 3D Realms, Apogee Entertainment, and id Software. His most notable works included sound for Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, Duke Nukem II (both 1993), Doom II (1994), and Duke Nukem 3D (1996).

Prince received the Game Audio Network Guild's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006, and his Doom work was inducted into the U.S. National Recording Registry in 2026.

Early life and education

Robert Caskin Prince III was born in Madison, Indiana, on March 12, 1945, the eldest son of Robert C. Prince Jr. and Dorothy Humber Prince. He was a founding member of R&B band the Jesters, created with high school friends in 1964. Prince graduated from the University of Georgia with a bachelor of arts in psychology in 1966. After briefly attending Emory University, He subsequently practiced law for several years. Among his earliest works were parts of the Commander Keen series, after he had responded to a forum message by Apogee founder Scott Miller seeking music writers. Prince created a song, "Eat Your Vegetables", for id Software's Commander Keen in Keen Dreams (1991) but it was rejected as it would have made the game too large to fit on a single floppy disk; he later made music for its sequels, Commander Keen in Goodbye, Galaxy and Commander Keen in Aliens Ate My Babysitter (both 1991). He also worked on Rise of the Triad (1995) and Duke Nukem 3D (1996). and Game Developer in 1997. He presented at the Computer Game Developers Conference in March 1996, was one of the judges of the Front Line Awards for Game Developer in 1998, and contributed to the book Game Design: Secrets of the Sages in 1999. In 1997, he was one of several music professionals who met with the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to discuss the feasibility of establishing a Grammy Award for video game music. In 2006, he received the Game Audio Network Guild's Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing his pioneering contributions to game music.

Personal life and death Prince married Constance "Connie" Maurine Freeman on December 19, 2005, and they lived in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

Prince died on June 16, 2026, at the age of 81. Several people who worked alongside Prince on the Doom series paid tribute to him after his death was announced, including designer John Romero and composer Andrew Hulshult.

Notable works