A terminally ill gamer doesn’t know if he’ll be alive when Borderlands 4 comes out, but he did get an invitation
Gearbox answers the call of a Borderlands fan with terminal cancer whose last wish was to play the fourth installment before its release.
Although we all think of GTA 6 when we talk about the most anticipated game of the moment, everyone is different, and that is the case with Caleb McAlpine. Last November, McAlpine, 37, posted on Reddit about his illness, a stage 4 terminal cancer that, if chemotherapy was sufficiently effective, would leave him with two years to live at best, although that could be reduced to between 6 and 12 months if he did not respond well to treatment. His message was clear: “I am a die hard Borderlands fan and don’t know if I will be around for Borderlands 4. Is there anyone that knows how to get in touch with Gearbox to see if there is a way to play the game early?”
Not long after, Randy Pitchford - president of the studio - responded, assuring that they would “do whatever we can to make something happen,” and as McAlpine recently posted... it did. “So Gearbox flew me and a friend down 1st class the 20th of this month and we got to tour the studio and meet an amazing bunch of people from some of the devs of all of the borderlands games up to Randy the CEO.”
“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,” McAlpine continued. “It truly was an amazing experience and it was just awesome.
When will Borderlands 4 be released?
After debuting with a fun trailer at the last Game Awards gala, Borderlands 4 is solidifying its position as one of the most anticipated games of 2025. Gearbox has yet to set a release date, but if GTA 6 meets its deadlines, it is unlikely to be in the fall to avoid clashing with the most anticipated game of the moment. Borderlands 4 will be published by Take-Two, just like Rockstar’s game, so they will be two very separate releases in time, with the only doubt as to which will be the first to reach the stores.
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