Halo co-creator ‘taking time away from games’ after leaving Battlefield director role

Marcus Lehto has confirmed that he’s left his position as game director on a new Battlefield title.

Lehto, who co-created the Halo franchise at Bungie, founded Seattle-based Electronic Arts studio Ridgeline Games in 2021.

Speaking last year, he said its debut project would be “a single-player campaign that will engage players in new ways while also remaining true to the classic elements of what makes Battlefield truly unique”.

However, it was recently spotted that all references to Battlefield and EA had been scrubbed from Lehto’s social media accounts, suggesting he’d left the company.

“Yes, I left EA on my own accord,” he has since confirmed. “This was very a tough decision for me to make.

“I want to thank the Battlefield community for allowing me to listen to you while I was able. Your feedback will help make Battlefield stronger. I wish the teams at EA all the best moving forward.

“In the meantime,” Lehto added, “I will be taking time away from games to see what, if anything, I want to do next.”

EA announced last year that DICE would serve as co-developer on the Battlefield single-player campaign in the works at Ridgeline Games.

It said DICE was also working on a future multiplayer experience for the franchise, while LA-based Ripple Effect was creating a completely different Battlefield project.

In December 2021, EA announced its intention to create a “connected Battlefield universe” alongside widespread changes to the franchise’s development structure.

As part of these plans, DICE’s former general manager Oscar Gabrielson left EA altogether, while Respawn and Infinity Ward co-founder Vince Zampella took on a new role as the overseer of the entire Battlefield franchise.