River, The Real Dog That Inspired Fallout 4's Dogmeat, Has Died

River, the real-world dog that inspired Fallout 4's Dogmeat, has died. River's owner, Joel Burgess, confirmed the news in a heartfelt goodbye posted on social media.

"I said goodbye today to River, who most of you know as Fallout 4's Dogmeat," Burgess said. "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."

Across a series of tweets, Burgess revealed a series of fascinating deals and insider information about how Bethesda went about putting River into Fallout 4 as Dogmeat. Burgess also spoke about how the studio wanted to avoid making Dogmeat feel like a "canine weapon and nothing more."

"What we wanted was a companion first, and a combat ally second," Burgess said.

The team considered casting a "professional" dog who had formal training for media or with the police, but Bethesda decided to cast a developer's own dog (Burgess has since left Bethesda to join Capybara Games) because it was the right fit for the project. The choice was well receive and Dogmeat even won an award.

You can see a selection of Burgess' tweets about River below, while the rest are available on Twitter. You can also remember River by watching the video below that shows how Bethesda went about bringing River into the game. And finally, Burgess encouraged people to volunteer with animal rescue campaigns where they live or make a donation.

"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.nIn other words, he loves you. And if love is River's legacy, I am contented," Burgess said. "Rest in peace, big girl."

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

— Joel Burgess (@JoelBurgess) June 27, 2021

This thread is essentially a long form of the story I always tell about River’s role in Fallout 4; that she was the antidote to my biggest worry for the Dogmeat character – a canine weapon, and nothing more.
What we wanted was a companion first, and a combat ally second. pic.twitter.com/KjstYfkV8s

— Joel Burgess (@JoelBurgess) June 27, 2021

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.

— Joel Burgess (@JoelBurgess) June 27, 2021

I remember the catalyst; an eager new member had joined the Dogmeat team.
I visited their desk a day or so later. Research covered the walls; countless images of German Shepherds snarling, all teeth and attack postures.
Within a day or two, River started visiting the studio.

— Joel Burgess (@JoelBurgess) June 27, 2021

River attended countless meetings; but not just to be poked, prodded, recorded and filmed as reference - her biggest job was just to BE with the team.
The more they bonded with her, the more they saw Dogmeat as a character - a friend. pic.twitter.com/JLpV3006cK

— Joel Burgess (@JoelBurgess) June 27, 2021

The Dogmeat team was just a handful of us early on - as River stole hearts around the studio, however, more and more folks found ways to pitch in and help bring her personality into the game.
She was more than a mascot or an inspiration - she was part of the team.

— Joel Burgess (@JoelBurgess) June 27, 2021

This affected *so much* of how Dogmeat comes across in the final game. (And hey, she even won an award for her role - thanks to everyone's great work.)https://t.co/0CF0QhrNHp
A handful of specific examples:

— Joel Burgess (@JoelBurgess) June 27, 2021

To begin with the obvious; River's looks were almost directly replicated to the in-game model.
Not just because of her beauty (but yes, that too), her markings happened to work really well for pose read + facial expression.https://t.co/9vXYRgrBqq

— Joel Burgess (@JoelBurgess) June 27, 2021

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

— Joel Burgess (@JoelBurgess) June 27, 2021