This is a personal message to 343i. It’s the closest I can get to sending something directly to them. This is not a sarcastic message, hate message, or me trying to tell you guys how to do your job. It’s a personal thank you, and a response to your works.
I have been a fan of Halo from the age of 8. I was migrant from southeast Asia and I did not understand what video games were, or what halo was or what in gods name was the xbox. The only games I played was Metal slug and Hercules at my cousins and even that was once a month. It was around the age of 8 when my neighbour give their xbox to us, halo CE included. It was strange, nothing I saw before and I was very curious. When I started up halo It blew me away, it was gorgeous, nothing i’ve seen or played before. I remember the first time seeing the pillar of autumn, seeing Cortana and the Chief. Looking out windows, exploring every nick and canny of the ship. I enjoyed every bit of it. And the rest was history. I bought halo 2 few years after release due to my parents rejection of gaming. It was the happiest moment of my life, walking home with the game in my hand. Then the long wait before getting halo 3, wars, odst and finally reach.
I was never really part of the community, I didn’t even have live. The campaign was everything to me, and once in a while i would play custom games with my cousins. I enjoyed reach, though a bit irritated with the story not following the books. I was unaware that it was Bungie’s last game and when I finally found out I was devastated. It felt like a part of me died that day, I cried and was depressed for weeks because of that. It was serious that I loved to death and watching it end was quite hard for me.
When 343i took over and started working on Reach and it’s DLC’s I was delighted though still saddened that there was going to be no sequel. Halo CE anniversary was an amazing gift to the community. It’s funny because I was really happy before the game, however after finishing it one go I was back in depression.
When Halo 4 was announced I lost my -Yoink-. I was hyperventilating while watching the reveal, repeatedly watching the trailer over and over again. It got me into the community, every single day checking for the tiniest of info, anything related to the game, reading multiple articles on the same news just for slight info that may not have been present in one. It was around a few months before the release of the game when my life was stuck in a rut. I was diagnosed with clinical depression and had to go to therapists once a week. It was very bad moment of my life and i felt there was no reason to continue living, life just felt empty. It was a dark moment in my life and it was getting worse. The only thing that kept me going was halo, whenever new info came out it would be the highlight of my week. I continued with my life with the only thing keeping me going was halo. It may sound stupid, absurd but it was me. I look back now and I find it laughable, I can’t believe that was actually me. The release of Halo 4 was a turning point for my life. I got the game at a midnight release event. Seeing all these people who were equally excited for something was eye opening. I finished the campaign as soon as I got home and replayed it multiple times within the first week. It was then that I also decided to go online and try multiplayer instead of just custom games. I enjoyed it, it lacked in some areas and didn’t quite feel like the previous halo’s, but it was still halo. It was different but it still had the unique gameplay of halo. And I enjoyed every bit of it and played it for hours upon hours. The game brought me back to life, I was back, I was socialising and honestly I was happy with my life.
I’ve read all the books and comics, bought as many toys as my budget could afford and of course bought all the games. You guys continuing the halo series means a lot to many people around the world. It means a lot to me. Halo has been a huge part of my life, it helped make me childhood enjoyable and helped me out when I was stuck in rut. I want to thank you for everything you have done. I want to thank you guys, not just producers and the directors but the programmers, artists and voice actors. I want to thank you for the past 6 years and the however many years you continue to make content. You guys have had a huge impact on my life, and i may not be here if it wasn’t for you. Thank you for everything, and I look forward to the years ahead.