20 Year Old Half-Life: Decay Easter Egg Was Just Found

Half-Life: Decay there is a small Easter egg that appears before you if you change your mind and pay close attention to a completely destroyed computer.

This secret was discovered by the Half-Life expert and YouTuber, MarphitimusBlackimus, who this weekend uploaded a video in which he shows and explains this Easter egg.

At the very end of Half-Life: Decay, a co-op expansion to the original game developed by Gearbox Software for the PS2, you normally see the ending from the perspective of Gina. She is one of the two scientists you can play as in the co-op campaign. However, you can, with some modifications, view the last scene of the game from Colette’s perspective. (She’s the other scientist you can play as in Decay.)

If you were to do this, you’d might notice a broken computer in the corner of the room. It’s only on screen for a few seconds, but during that time a series of sparks flash across its surface. While these might appear random, MarphitimusBlackimus investigated them and discovered a tiny secret. If all the spark effects are activated via a map editor, you can find the initials “MA.”

INITIALS VOLUNTARILY HIDDEN BY A DEVELOPER
These initials are those of Matthew Armstrong, level designer at Gearbox Software, the American studio that developed the extension at the time. He used to hide this kind of easter eggs to leave his mark in his creations, like on Team Fortress 2 Classic.