The Heartbreaking Truth Behind Borderland 3's Compressing Trevonator

The team at Gearbox Software, the developer behind the upcoming Borderlands 3, took time out of their hectic schedule to pay tribute to a special fan.

27-year-old Trevor Eastman was diagnosed with stage 4 esophageal, stomach and liver cancer in June 2018. Doctors gave him only one year to live. A big Borderlands fan, Trevor shared his situation in a post on Reddit last month, asking the community for help in fulfilling a special request.

"I've been a huge fan of Borderlands for a long time now ... and I don't know if I'll live to see Borderlands 3," said Eastman. "If there's any possible way that someone could find a way for me to be able to play it early ... I would be forever grateful."

Fans mobilized, sharing his story across social media. According to a follow-up post from Eastman just over two weeks ago, 2K and Gearbox came through: "One of the people from 2k has been talking to me(not sure if I'm allowed to say who so I won't mention a name) and he's making it happen. They're flying somebody out at the beginning of June most likely to give me a copy of the game."

Eastman got his wish: four hours with Borderlands 3 provided by Gearbox community manager Noelle Pugh and producer James Lopez. The developers took this a step further, allowing him to name and write the description for one of the new guns in the game. Based on pictures shared by Eastman, the Compressing Trevonator is a legendary weapon that can switch between Cryo and Fire damage. It also provides +28% weapon charge speed and a +75 splash damage radius. The flavor text reads: "Trev is gunna get you!"

"I am seriously so happy and astonished how kind they have been to me and it really means the world to me that they did this for me," wrote Eastmann. " I wish I could pay them back for everything they've done ... and all of you as well for making this dream come true."

Borderlands 3 comes to Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on September 13.