Starfield fans want an in-game tribute to a fan who died of cancer before getting to play the game

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The hashtag AlexInStarfield has an incredibly sad backstory

Starfield fans have created a social media campaign to convince Bethesda to add an in-game tribute to a fan who lost his battle with cancer before he could play the game.

Three months ago, Alex Hay shared to Reddit that he was "gutted" to hear that Starfield had been delayed from its original November 11, 2022 release date, as that meant he likely wouldn't be able to play it due to having recently stopped treatment for lung cancer. Hay died shortly after, as shared by the MacStories community of which he was an active and accomplished member.

Over on Reddit where the tragic news was shared, many Starfield fans are committing to naming their ships and/or characters after Hay in tribute, but some think there's a more profound way to remember him. As the YouTube account Light explains, there's precedent for Bethesda immortalizing a fallen fan in-game. The Fallout 4 character Evan, available only in the Nuka-World expansion, is a tribute to a Reddit user's brother, a Fallout fan who passed away before Bethesda could deliver a personalized care kit.

The hashtag "AlexInStarfield" got some traction on Twitter earlier this month, but it's so far failed to get Bethesda's attention, at least publicly. There are some commenters pointing out that development on Starfield is likely nearing completion, which is true, but there's always the possibility of adding a tribute in a post-launch update.

You can read more about Hay and his accomplishments in the app development field in this tribute from MacStories. You can also make donations to the American Cancer Society and Cancer Research UK in Alex’s name if you'd like.

Jordan Gerblick
Jordan Gerblick

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.