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.
