Bungie comforts kid on lost autographed Xbox 360; sends him a whole lot of swag and love

Nathaniel, the gamer who got his autographed Xbox 360 unit wiped off clean from the repair center, is one lucky guy. Sure, he did lose the sentimental value of his console, but thanks to the generosity of Bungie Studios, he’s now got a whole lot of love and swag (in the form of Halo merchandise). Now that’s customer care. Check out the “consolation” goodies he got at the full article.

Remember that story about Nathaniel’s autograph-laden Xbox 360 unit that got shipped off to Customer Service for repair and came back all fixed and… clean? Well we’ve got an update on that story, and this time, it’s coming from Bungie.

It appears that after the article was first posted on Hawty McBloggy’s site, two Bungie employees sent Hawty an email expressing their desire to help out Nathaniel in his heartbreaking loss.

While they could not replace the lost collection of autographs on Nathaniel’s unit, they could, however, send him some glorious goodies. And that they did.

Just the other day, Nathaniel reportedly received a large box filled to the brim with Halo merchandise. Included in the amazing bag were:

• Legendary Edition Helmet signed by most–if not all–of the studio staff
• Halo 3 Soundtrack (two disc) signed by Marty OÂ’Donnel (with “DO NOT ERASE!” written under his name)
• Bungie Jacket
• Bungie T-Shirt
• Halo 3 Messenger Bag
• Two Halo 3 Limited Edition Wireless Controllers (one covenant, one human)
• Halo 3 Faceplate and Skins for Xbox 360
• Four McFarlane Action Figures (MC, EVA Spartan, Brute Chieftain, Jackal Sniper)
• Halo Actionclix Preview pack (Target exclusive sticker on the front)
• Halo Actionclix Game Pack 4
• Halo 3 Wall Graffix
• Halo 3: Ghosts of Onyx Novel
• Halo Graphic Novel
• Halo 3 Wristband
• Halo 3 Hackeysack

Wow, Bungie sure pulled out all stops to comfort one disgruntled Halo fan, didn’t they? In all, it took them six days to gather all these goods, pack them, ship it off, and have it arrive on Nathaniel’s doorstep. And to think they didn’t really have anything to do with this problem.

On the other hand, there still isn’t much to hear from the camp of Microsoft on the matter. Although, a MS marketing manager, John Porcaro, did allegedly contact Nathaniel, and did have something to say.

We’re gamers ourselves, and we’re all pretty shocked that something like this happened… Apparently the consoles go through a wash-down process before they’re shipped back. You would think that someone would see the case and realize that it would be best to leave it be.

As for Nathaniel, he sure is now one happy, lucky gamer. And he had this to say to the staff of Bungie Studios:

… Long have I known of your dedication to your fans and community, but I find this single act of kindness mind boggling. Apart from the fact that a few of you had signatures adorning my console, you had no involvement in what occurred. As such, you have far surpassed any response I could have anticipated. I don’t think I could ever repay you for this.

Aww… Bungie. That story sure brings tears of joy to our eyes. Now that’s what you call giving back to the fans!

Via Hawty McBloggy