Starfield Includes a Tribute to a Bethesda Fan Who Passed Away Before Launch

ign.com:

Bethesda Game Studios added a sweet tribute in Starfield dedicated to a fan who passed away before the game's release.

As reported by PC Gamer, redditor HunterWorld posted on the Starfield subreddit their discovery of "Alex Hay's Note", which says: "To all my friends and fellow explorers. I'm always with you, out there in the starfield. Love Always, Alex Hay."

If you are unfamiliar with Alex Hay, he was a fan of Starfield who passed away earlier this year from cancer. When Bethesda announced in early March it had delayed Starfield to September, Hay went on the game's subreddit to express his disappointment in Starfield getting pushed back, stating he would not be able to play the game.

Hay said he eagerly awaited its original November 11, 2022 release date as he had stopped his treatment for cancer months prior and was looking forward to playing Starfield "as a distraction".

In May, fans requested that Bethesda Game Studios add a tribute to Hay after he passed away, as the developer has made similar moves in the past. In Fallout 4, the developer paid tribute to a fan by adding an NPC character in the game's final expansion, Nuka World.

A few years back, the developer said it would "look into" adding a tribute to Skyrim fan Colton "Colt" Meredith, who passed away, in addition to having Shirley "Skyrim Grandma" Curry as an NPC in the upcoming entry The Elder Scrolls 6.

Starfield is out now for players who purchased specific versions of the game, with its full launch happening on September 6. If you started your journey into the Settled Systems yesterday or this coming weekend, check out our guide on the first things you should do when starting, the best traits and backgrounds to pick, and 22 things Starfield doesn't tell you