Team Fortress 2 has received a rather somber update this weekend as a tribute to Rick May, the voice actor who portrayed the game's Soldier. Throughout the month of May, it would seem that the game will now feature statues of a saluting Soldier with a plaque commemorating the life of the voice actor. The plague also features the quote, "That was a hell of a campaign son!"
May, if you are not aware, died in April following complications after contracting COVID-19. He had been recovering in a nursing home from a stroke he suffered in February when he contracted the deadly disease. In addition to voicing the Soldier, May notably portrayed both Peppy Hare and Andross in Star Fox 64. His death was first reported by the Rekindle School, where May served as a teacher. He was 79.
"Added a tribute to Rick May, voice of the Soldier," the official update from Valve reads on Steam. There is more to the patch notes, but they are largely concerned with minor bugs and exploits being fixed. As mentioned above, the update adds tribute statues to Rick May across a variety of maps in addition to a new rendition of "Taps" called "Saluting the Fallen" to the game's soundtrack. The main menu has also changed slightly. In general, players seem to be extremely welcoming of the tribute.
Team Fortress 2, which was originally released in 2007, is currently available for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC, and Mac. The tribute to Rick May is expected to last all month, and it is possible that it could become an annually rotating event given the fact that, you know, May the month happens every year. You can check out all of our previous coverage of the popular team-based shooter right here.
Keep reading to see what folks are saying about the Rick May update to Team Fortress 2!
Wait... is it Rick MAY now?
Good on you, Team Fortress 2