Borderlands developers fulfill the wish of terminally ill fan to play Borderlands 4 before anyone else

Borderlands fan Caleb McAlpine doesn’t have long to live. His biggest wish was to be able to play Borderlands 4. The developers have now made this possible.

What is this story about? In October 2024, 37-year-old Caleb McAlpine reached out to the Borderlands community. The gamer explained that he had been diagnosed with terminal cancer in August – he only has a few months, maybe 2 years to live.

As a die-hard fan of the loot shooter, it was Caleb’s great wish to be able to play Borderlands 4 – but whether he will still be around for the expected release in 2025 is uncertain. Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford became aware of the case and got in touch with the player.

On November 26, Caleb now reported back from his visit to the Borderlands developers Gearbox.

Borderlands 4 was announced at gamescom 2024 with a teaser trailer that raises more questions than it answers:

Borderlands chief raves: “A true gamer”

The player reports: On Reddit, Caleb confirmed that Gearbox flew him and a friend in on November 20, 2024 – first class, of course. There, they were given a tour of the studio and had the chance to meet “a bunch of great people,” including some of the developers of the Borderlands games as well as Randy Pitchford himself.

Additionally, Caleb’s wish was fulfilled: He was allowed to play a prototype of Borderlands 4. The player thanks the community for making this possible, as well as for their love and support. “It was really an amazing experience and simply fantastic.”

You can check out the post here:

Randy Pitchford will likely remember the visit of the terminally ill fan especially well. He wrote on X: “Caleb is cool – a true gamer who knows Borderlands inside and out. I’m glad he had a chance to play. I pray he holds on until we are done. Thank you, Internet, for spreading Caleb’s story.”

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A very similar case occurred in 2019, previously with Borderlands 3. This once again shows how strong the solidarity of the Borderlands community is and how much the creators of the games care about their fans. Borderlands 3 fulfills dying fan’s last wish, letting him play early