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An Open Letter to 343 Industries, From a FanOriginally, I wanted to put this statement at the end of this entry as a way of making a final bold statement, but I felt so strongly about it that I decided it'd be best to state it out right at the beginning: 343 Industries' love for you and I, the Halo community, knows no bounds. Words cannot describe the sheer gratitude and love I've been feeling ever since my experience with all the members of 343 Industries in attendance at Comic Con this past week. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have the CEO of a major corporation approach and interact with you as if that CEO had known you your whole life? Have you ever wanted to be able to sit down and have a drink with the executive producer of your favorite game, movie, or TV show and casually talk without worry about whether or not you're worthy of their time and mere presence? An example of these questions pulled straight out of Comic Con would be my experience with Bonnie Ross, the General Manager (mother) of 343 Industries. Her interactions with me were so genuine, so enlightening, and so enjoyable. She always took an interest in interacting with me and other Halo fans in attendance, she wanted to know not only about our thoughts on the game itself, but about the studio as a whole, the culture they'd adopted, the atmosphere they were building for the fans both in and out of the game, and much more. You could see it in her eyes that had she not been obligated to do actual work at the convention, she would've wanted to continue hanging out with Halo fans at the Xbox booth, watch all of us play, and always hear our thoughts on all things Halo. But this gesture of treating us with open arms doesn't stop at Bonnie Ross, oh no. This goes for Jessica (Community Manager), Kevin Franklin (Lead MP Designer), Kiki Wolfkill (Executive Producer), Josh Holmes (Creative Director), Jay Frechette (Associate Producer), Brian Reed (Franchise Writer), Jeremy Patenaude (Franchise Writer), David Ellis (Spartan Ops designer), Chris Haluke (Lead Spartan Ops designer), Jay (Business Administrator), Alison Stroll (Senior Producer), Kevin Grace (Franchise Manager), and of course, Frankie himself (Franchise Development Director). Included in this list, by the way, are the three lovely Xbox booth ladies who worked the booth all day, every day, and dealt with me during that time. You three rule. Moving on, they are always open to what you have to say, what you want, and how you feel. Hell, they're like that so much so that a simple thought I had in my head of "why don't we face 343 in their first humpday at the VIP party?" became an ordeal of epic proportions with the end result being HaloGAF edging 343 to win the first Halo 4/343 humpday. To 343 Industries, this event has shown me just how much heart and soul you have for the work you do, the Halo community, and the Halo franchise itself. It's shown me that there's a unique aspect to your studio that not many other organizations share that you should never let go of. It's shown me that you think of Halo fans as more than just fans, but as family. Always keep this ideology with you. Have faith in your work. Always continue exploring new ideas. Keep doing what you're doing and be fearless doing it. You've done tremendous work, not just on Halo 4, but on the Halo community, the culture you've inherited, and the identity you've created for yourself as a studio. My love for all of you at 343 Industries and the Halo franchise is endless and after experiencing what I have at Comic Con, it looks like the feeling's mutual. Domino Theory |
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