Marc Laidlaw's 40-Year-Old Cyberpunk Tale Adapted into Netflix's Love, Death & Robots Episode

Marc Laidlaw penned the short story "400 Boys" at the age of 21 in 1981, well before his renowned tenure as Valve's lead writer and a key figure behind the Half-Life series. Initially published in Omni magazine in 1983, the story later found a broader audience when included in the Mirrorshades: The Cyberpunk Anthology. On his website, Marc notes that "400 Boys" has likely been read by more people than any other work he's authored, with the possible exception of his seasonal ad copy for Dota 2. While the gaming community knows him primarily for his contributions to the Half-Life franchise, Marc's creative endeavors extend far beyond video games. It's fascinating to see how his career has evolved over time.

In a post-apocalyptic city where warring gangs adhere to a bushido-inspired code of honor, the emergence of the 400 Boys gang compels them to unite. This tale of beauty and brutality is brought to life by Canadian director Robert Valley, whose episode "Ice" from the Love, Death and Robots series earned an Emmy for Outstanding Short Form Animation.

"The inspiration for it just came out of walking around," Marc recalls. "I lived in Eugene, Oregon, and there were always these phone poles plastered with names of bands playing in town. It was just name after name of super cool bands, and I wanted to capture that. So, I came up with the idea of using gang names in the story as a fun way to invent band names. That was a significant driver behind the story."

Marc Laidlaw may have stepped away from Half-Life, but his connection to the internet remains strong. Photo credit: Mimi Raver. Now, more than 40 years after its initial publication, "400 Boys" has been transformed into an episode in the fourth season of Netflix's acclaimed animated anthology series, Love, Death and Robots. Directed by Robert Valley, who previously helmed "Zima Blue" and "Ice," and written by Tim Miller, the episode features the voice of John Boyega, known for his role as Finn in Star Wars. This adaptation marks a significant moment for "400 Boys," which Marc never anticipated would resurface in such a way.

"The story had faded into the background, but cyberpunk continued to thrive, and I didn't think about it much," Laidlaw shares during a video call just before the premiere of Love, Death and Robots Season 4 on Netflix.

Forty years is a long time for a piece of work to find new life, but the opportunity almost presented itself 15 years ago when Tim Miller from Blur, a company known for creating video game cutscenes, reached out about adapting "400 Boys." However, like many projects, it fell through due to changes at the studio.

Then, in March 2019, Love, Death and Robots burst onto the scene, offering a bold, adult-oriented animated anthology that captivated audiences. Marc was impressed by Tim Miller's involvement, especially given his innovative adaptation of J. G. Ballard's "The Drowned Giant" in the series. "I can't imagine anyone else turning that into an animated episode," Marc notes, expressing his admiration for Tim's creative vision.

400 Boys has been adapted into an episode of Love, Death and Robots on Netflix. Image credit: Netflix. In 2020, Marc moved to Los Angeles and, as the pandemic subsided, crossed paths with Tim at various events. He didn't push for "400 Boys," but hoped that if Love, Death and Robots continued its success, the opportunity might arise again. A year ago, he received the email asking if he'd be interested in optioning "400 Boys," and the project finally moved forward.

Marc had discussions with Tim, who took on the scriptwriting, and Robert Valley, the director. He pointed them towards the "400 Boys" audiobook, which he narrated during the pandemic when many were sharing audio versions of their works online. However, Marc's involvement was minimal, allowing him to enjoy the final product without being mired in the production process. "It was fun to sit back and not be involved 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 viewed the episode, Marc appreciates the visual enhancements and the performances, particularly by John Boyega. "They made the story so much more visually engaging," he says. "It's from a different me, from lifetimes ago," Marc reflects, acknowledging the youthful perspective he had when he wrote it over 40 years ago. "I'm still pretty happy with it, considering how young I was."

"And then there was a long period of not much happening," he adds. In 1997, Marc joined Valve as it was developing Half-Life, which marked a significant shift in his career. "And that whole thing happened..."

Marc "retired" from Valve in 2016, but it was more of a hard retirement from everything. In reality, he's now in a position to choose his projects and share them at his leisure. "I think I retired too hard," he admits, expressing a desire to remain creative. He wanted to return to writing, but the publishing industry had changed significantly during his time in video games. New game projects were also out of reach. "I can't do games without a bunch of people. I can't make a game myself."

Currently, Marc creates music and saw a surge in his audience after Valve released a Half-Life 2 anniversary documentary last year, which prompted him to share a lost development video on his YouTube channel. "I'm like, I'm in the wrong business!" he jokes. "I should just be leaking information about my old employer."

Reflecting on the Valve documentary, Marc found it therapeutic to reconnect with old colleagues and reminisce about the past. "It was good for me to process and put a bow on that stuff," he says. "I hadn't talked to or seen a lot of those people for a long time. It was fun to hang out with people and talk it over."

With the Half-Life and Half-Life 2 anniversary documentaries completed, Marc humorously notes that the only Valve game left for him to reminisce about might be Dota 2, which is now 12 years old. "I could speak to Dota. That's the only thing left," he says, though he also mentions his minor involvement with Alien Swarm.

Discussions about Half-Life are unavoidable when speaking with Marc, but with the documentaries released, there's little more to say about the past. The focus shifts to the potential future of Half-Life, though asking about Half-Life 3's development is futile. Marc has lost touch with those at Valve, and even if he knew something, he wouldn't announce it here.

Instead, the conversation turns to whether Marc would consider writing for a video game again. He remains open to the idea and playfully suggests that Hideo Kojima should have contacted him during the development of Death Stranding. "When Death Stranding came out, I was grinding my teeth. Like, does he know I'm available? I'd be happy to help polish the dialogue and make it better for the actors."

Marc's "hard retirement" led him to believe that the industry no longer considered him for projects. "When I see the Miyazaki stuff, the From studio stuff, of course, you go to George R. R. Martin first if you could. Nobody needs my name on their project to sell copies," he reflects. "But that kind of thing to me is exciting."

Surprisingly, the offers he received after leaving Valve were not what he expected. "I did kind of expect more interesting offers and was kind of like, 'this is weird: somebody wants me to write their synopsis for their mobile phone laser tag game.' It's like, they don't know what I do."

Marc admits to receiving such offers but remains open to opportunities. "I haven't really heard any interesting game offers that seemed right for me. People think of me as someone who can write a bunch of stuff for a game. I'm like, 'do you notice how little writing there was in Half-Life?' That was the point; I hated reading in games."

The interview concludes with the inevitable question: if Valve called and asked Marc to return for Half-Life 3, would he accept? "I would not do that," he states firmly. "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 over. We need new stuff. I didn't need to be the one saying, 'The G-Man wouldn't do that in my day.' It became a negative force on the creative process.

"I haven't played the VR Half-Life: Alyx, so I don't really feel like I can contribute. I'm not on the creative edge anymore. That's not what's interesting to me at this point. Plus, I'm one of the older guys, and it's a lot of work. I get into my own things now, but it's not on anyone else's schedule. The Half-Life part of my life is way behind me."

So, Marc Laidlaw and Half-Life have parted ways. Yet, his past work continues to resonate, as evidenced by Netflix's adaptation of "400 Boys" after 40 years. Perhaps, in the future, Netflix might approach Valve about turning Half-Life into something new, giving Marc another chance to revisit his past.

"The fact that I got into the cyberpunk thing before it was called cyberpunk, and then I came across this game company that ended up making Half-Life… I've been lucky to be a part of these phenomena."