River, the real-life German Shepherd that Fallout 4’s Dogmeat companion was largely based on, has sadly passed away. Dogmeat was just one of many companions that players could pal around with in the title, but it was an early one that quickly became a fan-favorite character. The exact details of River’s death have not been released, which is not terribly unusual for animals, but Capy Games studio director Joel Burgess, who previously worked on the Fallout franchise at Bethesda, shared that he “said goodbye” to her last night before offering a bunch of memories about how River came to portray Dogmeat in the first place.
I said goodbye today to River, who most of you know as Fallout 4’s Dogmeat.
Heartbroken doesn’t cover it, but I won’t eulogize her here. For twitter, I thought it’d be appropriate to look back at her impact on that game.
(plus, writing about game dev hurts less than grieving) pic.twitter.com/ayN1Vd6oqQ
It wasn’t obvious at first that River would be our subject.
We’d started by researching some “professional” dogs, with film and/or police training.
Lots of games go this route, and for good reason. But in the end, we didn’t.
Dogmeat is a tether. He grounds you in the world, will always stand by you, lead you to your family, and anticipate your needs. He wants you to be safe and happy.
In other words, he loves you.
And if love is River’s legacy, I am contented.
Rest in peace, big girl. pic.twitter.com/XiUszPtOnM
