GamesAction RpgBorderlandsBorderlands 4Borderlands fan will get to see Borderlands 4 early after Gearbox agrees to fly him to the studio following cancer diagnosis: “I never expected anything like this"When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
GamesAction RpgBorderlandsBorderlands 4Borderlands fan will get to see Borderlands 4 early after Gearbox agrees to fly him to the studio following cancer diagnosis: “I never expected anything like this"When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Gearbox)
After asking the Borderlands 3 community if anyone might know a way for him to see Borderlands 4 early, Caleb McAlpine, a 37-year-old army veteran and Borderlands fan with stage 4 cancer,saw an outpouring of support including a huge boost to his treatment GoFundMe.Gearboxwas informed of his situation, and after outreach from CEO Randy Pitchford, McAlpine says there are now plans for him to visit the developer’s Texas headquarters next month and see Borderlands 4 as it looks right now.
Borderlands 4is the next installment in one of McAlpine’s all-time favorite series, but it won’t be out until sometime in 2025. It could well be late 2025 even with no delay. McAlpine’s doctors have told him he has limited time to live – roughly 7 - 12 months, and still less than two years assuming his treatment goes well.
Speaking with GamesRadar+ over email, McAlpine explains that, when hefirst shared his storywith the Borderlands Reddit community, he wasn’t aware of the other times that Gearbox worked with fans in similar health situations. “I looked them up and saw the stories and it touched my heart even more knowing that Gearbox is such a great company to do this when they didn’t have to at all,” he says. He hadn’t used Reddit very much either, so the community’s response, as well as Gearbox and Pitchford’s offer, “floored” him.
“I honestly did not expect it to blow up like that,” McAlpine says. “I had thousands of notifications and streamers that I have watched their videos commenting on it. When I received an email from Randy I couldn’t believe it. It was awesome to see the CEO of Gearbox emailing me and telling me that he would do whatever he could to help me out. I was just floored to be honest. In a good way. I never expected anything like this. It almost felt like a dream to be honest.”
Games have “always been a passion” for McAlpine, who got into Borderlands with the first game, which launched during his time in the army. “We would actually have Borderlands parties at the house or in the barracks where we would put three or four TVs together and play that way,” he recalls. “It was a fun time with good people and obviously a good game.” He also shared a picture of his crew’s old setup:
(Image credit: Caleb McAlpine / Gearbox)
“I have been playing the games ever since,” he continues. “All of the games are good in their own way, from characters to weapons. They are just downright fun games to play.”
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“Cancer is no joke, the pain I have associated with my colorectal cancer that spread to my entire liver is bad enough,” he adds. “But when you add chemo into the mix it’s just unbearable. There are good days, don’t get me wrong, but I have had so many bad days because of the side effects from the chemo that I legitimately have just been in bed crying from the pain. The morphine and the gabapentin that my palliative care team put me on doesn’t touch it. So for anyone that is going through cancer treatments, my heart goes out to you and to your family members that have to watch you struggle with this horrible disease.”
“Once I was able to download the games (because I live in the middle of nowhere it took two days for them to download) I immediately loaded up BL3 and got right back into the vault hunting on the Switch. I take my Switch with me to the infusion clinic and I have Borderlands geared up and ready to go. Of course BL3 is best but you still have to farm. I loaded up BL2 and started that game again this last round of chemo just so I could get going and just be a Vault Hunter in that game too.”
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Gearbox lead wants Borderlands 4 to have less “toilet humor,” says the thought of “skibidi toilet” and a gun called “Hawk 2A” in the game makes him want to “cry real tears”
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The new Borderlands 4 trailer’s hidden messages have already been decoded, leaving the community with yet another riddle
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LatestI didn’t know how badly I wanted to grill and gobble up monsters until this upcoming survival roguelike made it look so tastySee more latest►
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I didn’t know how badly I wanted to grill and gobble up monsters until this upcoming survival roguelike made it look so tasty
I didn’t know how badly I wanted to grill and gobble up monsters until this upcoming survival roguelike made it look so tasty
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GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1
Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2
Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
3
Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
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Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
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Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
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Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
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Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
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4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
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Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
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1
Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
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Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3
Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4
Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5
Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”