This morning, we received an email from a Destructoid fan named Carlo who shared a story about his late friend Michael John Mamaril. Last month, Michael passed away due to cancer at the young age of 22. Both were huge Borderlands fans, so Carlo thought a great way to honor his buddy's memory would be to shoot Gearbox Software an email asking for a short eulogy to be read by the game's smart-mouthed robot mascot Claptrap. Not only did Gearbox comply with the request, it also promised to insert Michael into the upcoming Borderlands 2 as an NPC.
This is, without a doubt, one of the most heartfelt and generous acts of fan appreciation ever. For Gearbox to extend such an honor demonstrates how serious the company is in forging meaningful relationships with the people who play its games. This certainly isn't the first time Gearbox has gone above and beyond, and I guarantee it won't be the last.
You can listen to Claptrap's eulogy for Michael below. And thanks for sharing this touching story with us, Carlo. You have our deepest condolences.
That was amazing, I honestly teared up a little. It's always a shame when someone so young dies in such a terrible way, but with things like this we can keep remembering people as they were, as friends, as fans, and as genuine human beings. My condolences go out to the friends and family of what was undoubtedly an amazing man.
A single tear drops my eye, and i'm not joking. The end is so sad but so heartwarming for Gearbox doing this. This is one of the greatest accidental publicity (i hope that is accidental) i ever seen.
I'm speechless. The fact that a game developing company can be so humble and personal makes me tremble. Stuff like this and the tragic death of Brian Wood (of Relic Games) make me proud to be part of such a great community.
Gearbox is awesome, that gave me goosebumps, and to know there are devs who care as much about the fans as Gearbox clearly does...well it's impressive. there are in fact companies who still do what they do, out of love and when people appreciate it they go out of their way to give respect back. Condolences to Carlo and Michaels family, i didn't know him but i look forward to meeting him in the Borderlands!
To michael! I showed my mom this and she never liked gaming and it made her tear up. My condolences to michael. May he return to the nether of the force and live on forever.
I am truly sorry for you your loss. I really just cried, partially because it truly scares me that someone just 2 years older than me (and shares the same name) has succumb to such a hideous disease.
Jesus, I nearly cried listening to it. This is amazing of them to do. I feel so bad for Carlo, though. I don't know what I'd do if my best friend died so young.
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