Starfield fans campaign for in-game tribute for gamer who died of cancer before getting to play

Starfield fans are banding together online to try and get Bethesda to include a tribute in the upcoming action RPG for a fan who sadly died before he was able to experience the game.

As GamesRadar+ reports, Alex Hay passed away earlier this year shortly after sharing a post on the r/Starfield subreddit, in which he expressed his disappointment over the game’s delayed release date, since it was unlikely he’d ever be able to play it as a result.

“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,” the post by Hay from around three months ago reads. “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 six months is unlikely so… enjoy it on my behalf!”

Responding to the tragic news of Hay’s passing, one YouTuber and Bethesda fan, Light, has begun a social media campaign to try and make Bethesda take notice of the situation. In a video, they suggested that Hay could be included as an NPC in Starfield, much like how the Fallout 4 Nuka-World NPC, Evan, was added as a tribute for a fan who passed away. Fans have been using the hashtag ‘AlexInStarfield’ to raise awareness.

Although Bethesda hasn’t publicly responded at the time of writing, on Saturday, 20 May, Light took to Twitter with a promising update. They wrote: “For everyone still trying to get Alex in Starfield: I have been told that Bethesda are ‘Aware of Alex and the situation’ and ‘Likely have plans’. So nothing concrete yet but at least they know about it. Fingers crossed!”