Starfield immortalizes fan who passed away with in-game Easter egg

Bethesda has added a heartfelt message in Starfield, honoring a long-term fan, Alex Hay, who passed away after a battle with cancer. 

It’s common for developers to add Easter eggs in their games, but some are just plain gut-wrenching. A bitter-sweet Easter egg is now making the rounds among fans who hoped Alex Hay would get to experience the space in Starfield. Unfortunately, the fan passed away before the game was released, but Bethesda has immortalized him. 

While playing the game, players discovered a message written by Bethesda on behalf of Alex Hay, which would leave them in tears. 

Back in March, Alex Hay posted a note on the Starfield sub-reddit, revealing that he’s followed the game for a long time but didn’t think he could play it due to cancer. Hay had assumed he’d likely lose the battle to his illness before the release date. The post was brimming with get well soon messages and reminders from other players who wanted to stay in the loop. 

Unfortunately, he couldn’t play the game. A friend of Alex Hay informed the community of his death. He also asked Bethesda if it’d be open to honoring his friend. 

“If there’s anyone who from Bethesda who would like to put him in Starfield or an ES game, feel free to reach out,” he wrote. 

Who is Alex Hay?

Alex Hay was a long-time fan of Bethesda video games and an iOS app developer. He died in March 2023 after a battle with lung cancer, but he’s been immortalized in Starfield, Bethesda’s latest game that he couldn’t play.

Alex Hay was a gamer through and through. According to his friend, he had completed Hogwarts Legacy and invested thousands of hours in Oblivion, Skyrim, Fallout games, and more. But he was also extremely talented and creative. 

Alex Hay had developed Toolbox Pro, among many other apps. This particular one was a successful project dedicated to simplifying complex APIs.