River, the dog who inspired fan-favourite Fallout 4 companion Dogmeat has passed away. Game developer Joel Burgess took to Twitter to share the news over the weekend, saying goodbye to River in a moving thread that explained how she came to inspire and inform Dogmeat.
"I said goodbye today to River, who most of you know as Fallout 4's Dogmeat," Burgess wrote. "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."
River, a beautiful German Shepard, soon became more than a point of reference for the team. Burgess explained that the idea behind Dogmeat was to have an actual canine companion, not just a weapon that looked like a dog. While Bethesda had been working with a number of "professional" dogs, Burgess recalls the catalyst of River's involvement came the day she visited the office and spent time with the developers.
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Many of River's quirks would be directly transplanted onto Dogmeat in Fallout 4. Burgess explained that River would often walk ahead but look back to check to make sure if her travel companion was still there. She also enjoyed fetching large objects for people. Fallout 4 players will remember Dogmeat does both of these things often.
News of River's passing soon spread online, and fans everywhere took to Twitter to share their condolences, as well as their love for Dogmeat/River.
Rest easy, River - you truly will live on forever as one of the finest and most noble hounds in video games.
