This news hits a bit close for me, as Joe was a friend and former co-worker of my dad's. They both worked together at Hidden Path Entertainment several years ago, and I had an opportunity to meet Joe at the Halo Reach Launch Event in 2010. I was in my last year of high school, I was very timid, and I never really had the chance to meet someone who had worked on the game series that I loved the most. My dad recognized his former co-worker from across the room, and my younger brother and I followed him over.

Joe Waters left an impression on both my brother and I; maybe it was his green mohawk and white suit, maybe it was his welcoming and cool personality, or maybe it was a bit of both. I don't know, but it was awesome to get to talk to someone who worked on Halo Reach, and it seemed like he was pretty stoked to talk to fans of the game he had been working hard on for months.

The next day, after I completed the Reach Campaign on Co-Op with my brother, we both got super excited to see Joe's name in the credits of the game. And then again in Halo 4.

Seeing all the local Seattle devs talk about their experiences with Joe leads me to believe that my experience with him was not a unique one. He definitely left an impression on a lot of people, and he will be missed dearly.

RIP Joe Waters

Source