In 1981, at the age of 21, Marc Laidlaw penned the short story "400 Boys," long before he became Valve's lead writer and a key figure in creating the iconic Half-Life series. The story was first published in Omni magazine in 1983 and later included in Mirrorshades: The Cyberpunk Anthology, exposing it to a broader audience. On his website, Laidlaw humorously notes that "400 Boys" has likely been read by more people than any other work of his, with the possible exception of Dota 2 seasonal ad copy. While he's widely recognized in the video game community for his contributions to Half-Life, Laidlaw's career extends far beyond gaming. It's fascinating to see how his journey has unfolded.
In a post-apocalyptic city, where rival gangs adhere to a bushido-inspired code of honor, the emergence of the 400 Boys gang forces these factions to unite. This narrative, blending beauty and brutality, was brought to life by Canadian director Robert Valley, known for his Emmy-winning episode "Ice" from the Love, Death & Robots series.
Laidlaw recalls the inspiration behind "400 Boys," saying, "It just came from walking around Eugene, Oregon. I'd see phone poles plastered with names of local bands, and it sparked my imagination. I wanted to create a story where I could invent names for various gangs, much like those band names. That playful idea drove a significant part of the narrative."
Marc Laidlaw has moved on from Half-Life but remains connected to the digital world. Photo credit: Mimi Raver.
Over four decades after its initial publication, "400 Boys" has found a new life as an episode in the fourth season of Netflix's acclaimed animated anthology series, Love, Death & Robots. Directed by Robert Valley, who also helmed "Zima Blue" and "Ice" in previous seasons, the episode was written by Tim Miller and features the voice of John Boyega, known for his role as Finn in Star Wars. This adaptation marks a significant moment for Laidlaw, who never anticipated such a revival.
In a recent video call just before the release of Season 4, Laidlaw shared, "The story kind of faded into the background, but cyberpunk continued to thrive. I didn't think about it much." The journey of "400 Boys" to the screen was not straightforward. About 15 years ago, Tim Miller from Blur Studio, known for their stunning video game cutscenes, expressed interest in adapting the story. However, the project fell through due to studio changes.
Love, Death & Robots burst onto Netflix in March 2019, captivating audiences with its edgy, adult-oriented animation. Laidlaw was particularly impressed with Tim Miller's work, saying, "I can't imagine anyone else turning J.G. Ballard's 'The Drowned Giant' into an animated episode. I had a lot of respect for Tim from that."
400 Boys is now an episode of Love, Death and Robots on Netflix. Image credit: Netflix.
After moving to Los Angeles in 2020, Laidlaw met Tim Miller at various events as the pandemic waned. Though he didn't push for "400 Boys" to be adapted, he hoped that Love, Death & Robots' success might bring it back into the spotlight. A year ago, he received an email asking if he'd be interested in optioning "400 Boys" for the series, and the project finally came to fruition.
Laidlaw had some conversations with Tim Miller, who took over the script, and Robert Valley, the director. He pointed Valley to an audiobook version of "400 Boys" he had recorded during the pandemic. However, Laidlaw remained largely uninvolved, preferring to enjoy the final product from the sidelines. "It was fun to sit back and not be in the trenches for once," he says. "I just wanted to enjoy it when it was done and see what they made of it."
Having seen the episode, Laidlaw is pleased with the visual enhancements and the performances, particularly noting John Boyega's contribution. "They made the story so much more visually engaging. It's from a different me, lifetimes ago, but I'm still happy with it considering my age when I wrote it."
After a period of inactivity following the publication of "400 Boys," Laidlaw entered the gaming industry in 1997, joining Valve during the development of Half-Life. "And that whole thing happened…" he reflects.
Laidlaw "retired" from Valve in 2016, which initially seemed like a complete withdrawal from creative work. However, he's now in a position to choose projects that interest him. "I think I retired too hard," he admits. While the publishing industry had changed during his time in gaming, and new game development is out of reach as a solo endeavor, Laidlaw has turned to music. His audience grew after the release of a Valve documentary on the Half-Life 2 anniversary, where he shared early development footage on his YouTube channel. "I'm like, I'm in the wrong business! I should just be leaking information about my old employer," he jokes.Reflecting on the Valve documentary, Laidlaw found it therapeutic to reconnect with old colleagues and reflect on his past work. "It was good for me to process and put a bow on that stuff," he says. With the Half-Life and Half-Life 2 anniversary documentaries completed, the only Valve project he might revisit is Dota 2, which is now 12 years old. "I could speak to Dota. That's the only thing left," he muses, unless Valve decides to revisit Alien Swarm, on which he contributed.
It's impossible to discuss Marc Laidlaw without mentioning Half-Life. With the documentaries behind him, the focus shifts to potential future projects. While Laidlaw isn't aware of any plans for Half-Life 3, he remains open to writing for video games again. He humorously suggests that Hideo Kojima should have contacted him during the development of Death Stranding. "When Death Stranding came out, I was grinding my teeth. Does he know I'm available? I'd be happy to help polish the dialogue without wrecking anything."Laidlaw's "hard retirement" from Valve led to a surprising lack of interesting offers from the industry. "I did expect more interesting offers after leaving Valve," he says. Instead, he received proposals for projects like a mobile phone laser tag game, which didn't align with his expertise. "People think of me as someone who can write a lot for a game. But do they notice how little writing there was in Half-Life? The point was, I hated reading in games."
When asked if he would return to Valve for Half-Life 3, Laidlaw is definitive: "I would not do that. Even when I was there, I started to feel like the old guy shooting down ideas. At some point, you need to let the new fans and creators take the reins. We need new stuff. I don't think I'd be good for that anymore."Laidlaw has not played Half-Life: Alyx and feels disconnected from current developments at Valve. "I'm not on that edge anymore. That's not what's interesting to me at this point. Plus, I'm one of the older guys, and it's so much work. I get into my own things, but it's not on anyone else's schedule. The Half-Life part of my life is way behind me."
With Half-Life in his past, Laidlaw looks to the future, where his earlier works, like "400 Boys," continue to find new life. Perhaps, one day, Netflix might approach Valve about adapting Half-Life, and Laidlaw could revisit this chapter once more. Reflecting on his career, he says, "I've been lucky to be a part of these things that just kind of become phenomena."
