Borderlands 3 Fan With Terminal Cancer Gets to Play Game Early

Game Rant

By Joshua Duckworth

Published May 20, 2019

Thanks to the efforts of the Borderlands 3 community, one fan with terminal cancer will be able to play Gearbox Software's forthcoming looter shooter early.

Borderlands 3 doesn't launch until September, but one fan will reportedly be able to play the looter shooter sometime in June. His name is Trevor Eastman, and he has been diagnosed with stage 4 esophageal, stomach, and liver cancer. The prognosis didn't suggest he would be able to see the launch of Borderlands 3, so he turned to the gaming community.

Eastman turned to the official Borderlands Reddit about a month ago, explaining his predicament and how he has been a "huge fan of Borderlands for a long time now." He asked if anyone could find a way for him to be able to play it early, and the Borderlands 3 fan base did not disappoint. He recently posted an update confirming that someone from 2K Games has been in touch with him.

According to Eastman, this 2K rep is flying somebody out at the beginning of June, "most likely to give [him] a copy of the game." It's not clear whether this is temporary just to play for a few days, or if Eastman is truly being provided with an early, pre-launch copy of Borderlands 3. Eastman elected to not name the 2K rep because he's not sure if he's allowed to, which is understandable given that he'll likely have to sign a non-disclosure agreement, and he ends his update by thanking everyone who helped "make this dream come true."

Huge fan with a bad hand dealt. from Borderlands

It's clear that the Borderlands 3 community and 2K Games are helping Eastman make the best out of a bad situation, but it's not the first time gamers have come together to help another. Just last year, Bethesda let a terminal fan play a copy of Fallout 76 early, and Nintendo let another fan play Super Smash Bros. Ultimate early. Each situation speaks to how tightly knit gamers are and the positive influence gaming can have on others (and the many who were dealt unfair hands).

Update on dying 27 year old. from Borderlands

Fans may also remember when Gearbox added an in-game eulogy and NPC to Borderlands 2 for a fan of the game who passed due to cancer, Michael John Mamaril. If nothing else, what everyone has done for gamers like Mamaril and Eastman speaks volumes of Gearbox, 2K Games, and all those involved with Borderlands 3.

Borderlands 3 launches on September 13, 2019, for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.