At the start of the year, a Borderlands superfan named Caleb McAlpine attempted a "longshot", putting out what he described as a plea to Gearbox to allow him to play the still-in-development Borderlands 4. McAlpine suffers from stage-four cancer and may have less than two years to live, and the good folks over at Gearbox have granted his wish, flying him and a friend out first-class to Gearbox headquarters in Frisco, Texas.
In an update post on Reddit, McAlpine recounted the adventure (thanks, GameSpot). During the visit, the two met the development team, as well as studio founder and CEO Randy Pitchford, and got to play the next Borderlands game. He wrote a heartfelt message to the community and everyone at Gearbox who made this dream come true: "It was amazing. I don't know if I will be around when the game comes out, but I want to thank all of you for your love and support and for helping make this happen. It truly was an amazing experience, and it was just awesome."