Starfield is one of the most anticipated games of recent years, with fans looking forward to the game since its first announcement back in 2018. It is developed by Bethesda Game Studios and directed by studio veteran Todd Howard, a combination much of the gaming community is familiar with. After all, this is the developer and the mind behind hit games such as Fallout 4 and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.
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These are open-world RPGs (role-playing games) that have several fans, and one such fan, Alex Hay, sadly passed away. Now, players who have been playing the game owing to early access have found out that Bethesda honored him in the game he unfortunately never got to play.
How did Bethesda honor Alex Hay in Starfield?
Alex Hay was aged 35 and passed away from lung cancer, despite never having smoked. While he was still around, he took to Reddit to reveal his circumstances to the community, explaining that he wouldn’t be able to play the game after its delay from November 2022 to September 2023. He said:
“Bit gutted at the date reveal as I’ve been following this project for years and now it looks like I won’t get to play it. Was disappointed with the delay from November as I’d stopped treatment for my lung cancer (aged 35, never smoked) in September and was looking forward to it as a distraction. Now I’m under palliative care being looked after by my parents and playing my Xbox is a great form of escapism for me but holding out another 6 months is unlikely so… enjoy it on my behalf!”
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Recently, fans discovered that Bethesda had seemingly gotten in touch with Alex Hay while he was still alive and worked out a heart-warming way to honor him, which was in the form of a note in-game. The note, which can be found on the Eye, reads: “To all my friends and fellow explorers. I’m always with you, out there in the starfield. Love always, Alex Hay”.
Simple words, but so emotional too, which is reflected in the original Reddit post which received several thousand upvotes and comments from players who promised to name their Starfield spaceships after Alex Hay, honoring him just like Bethesda did.
Alex Hay was a massive gamer
In the announcement of Alex Hay’s tragic passing away on Reddit, someone who knew him said he was a gamer and a big fan of Bethesda games in particular:
“He loved LOVED Bethesda games. Combining Morrowind, Oblivion, Skyrim, and the Fallout games, he would’ve put tens of thousands of hours into those worlds. In the last few months he 100%’d Hogwarts Legacy, Elden Ring, and put in more than 1000 hours into Rimworld on PC. We’d play COD Warzone and Escape from Tarkov. Basically, the guy loved games and was the kindest, funniest dude I know.”
This comment from someone who knew him very well shows that Alex Hay was a gamer through and through, and one who will definitely be missed.