Terminally Ill Fan Gets To Play Borderlands 4 Before Everyone Else

Make-A-Wish has nothing on this story, where a video game company accommodates to a fan on his last legs so that he can play an upcoming 2025 looter shooter title.

Earlier this year, a Borderlands fan named Caleb McAlphine (who has terminal cancer) puts out a “long shot” plea to Gearbox to allow him to play Borderlands 4 before he dies. Eventually, the company fulfilled his request this November in the best way possible.

Gearbox fulfilled Caleb’s wish by flying him and a friend of his to the company’s offices in Texas (in first class airline seats), have them stay nearby at the Omni hotel near the Dallas Cowboys’ headquarters, and then checked out a build of Borderlands 4. Caleb and his friend met the developers and Gearbox founder Randy Pitchford, as well as shared impressions of Borderlands 4 (via Reddit).

“We got to play what they have for Borderlands 4 so far, and it was amazing. I don’t know if I will be around when the game comes out, but I just want to say thank you to all of you for all of your love and support and for helping in making this happen. It truly was an amazing experience and it was just awesome.”

It’s a heartwarming story that would do a lot of good PR-wise for Gearbox, one that’s most likely filled with NDAs up the wazoo. Speaking of the game, Borderlands 4 will be out in 2025 for PC, Xbox Series, and PlayStation 5. So far, we know that there will be a new planet to explore in and a new character who is “more dangerous” than Handsome Jack, a villain so memorable and dastardly he is in every top 10 video games villains list.