Sometimes the internet can be a mean spirited and scary place and sometimes it can prove that people can come together and help those who are in need. Caleb McAlpine is a terminally ill Borderlands fan whose story recently went viral on after posting it on Reddit.

“So 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?

Long shot but thought I would try.

Thanks for your help.”

After the post received 19,000 upvotes on Reddit (let alone the spread of the story on other platforms), McAlpine’s story reached the desk of Gearbox Software.

Chief at Gearbox, Randy Pitchford tweeted out, commenting on McAlpine’s time at Gearbox, saying “Caleb is cool – a legit gamer who knows Borderlands inside and out. I’m glad he got a chance to play. I am praying he makes to when we are done. Thanks, internet, for signal boosting Caleb’s story.”

Gearbox commented on their time with Caleb, saying:

We’re deeply thankful to the Borderlands community for rallying around Caleb after he shared his story several weeks ago. His courage, strength, and determination are an inspiration to us all. Our team was honored to host him last week at our studio.

Caleb also got the opportunity to post an update on Reddit:

Just an update, Thank you everyone
byu/Cjmac87 inborderlands3

McAlpine stated in his update:

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.

As of now, Gearbox Software has Borderlands 4 set to release sometime in 2025.