If you have played Fallout 4, one character that you'll no doubt remember is Dogmeat. This adorable canine companion managed to get us out of many tricky spots back in the day and he provided some much-needed company when venturing through the wasteland. We'd go as far as saying that Dogmeat is synonymous with the game and we found ourselves not wanting to switch companions even when we had the option to do so in its later streches.
Over the weekend on Twitter, Fallout 4's senior designer Joel Burgess made the upsetting announcement that River, the real-life German Shepheard that provided inspiration for Dogmeat, had passed away. River had been essential in developing the character, as her barks and cries were used as audio, and her calming nature was used as inspiration.
Burgess paid tribute to River by sharing a number of photos and by posting: "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)."
Thanks, IGN.