Reported by Insider Gaming and first discovered by Battlefield YouTuber Danyon PCFirst-person shooter veteran and Halo co-creator Marcus Lehto has resigned from his position as director at EA subsidiary Ridgeline Games, where he was working on the next Battlefield game.
As the art director for the first three Halo games, Lehto had a huge influence on the sci-fi series’ iconic look. Lehto went on to serve as creative director for his latter Halo game, produced by Bungie, and was part of the original Destiny team before leaving the company. Lehto founded the studio He V1 in 2014, but it struggled to find an audience for its experimental hoverbike FPS-RTS, Disintegration, and shut it down in 2021.
That same year, Lehto moved to Ridgeline, which is owned by EA, and the studio is said to be working on an FPS game. It was later revealed that Lehto was serving as his director of narrative for the Battlefield series, under the overall leadership of his Respawn co-founder Vince Zampella.
This seemed like a good fit, with Lehto applying his expertise in FPS campaigns to bring back the single-player elements of a series that has historically focused on multiplayer. Battlefield’s latest installment, the once-maligned, now-redeemed 2042, didn’t have a single-player campaign.
Lehto has not issued a statement regarding the move, but updated his LinkedIn and Twitter bios to reflect that his time in the position ended this month. I’ve asked EA for comment and will update this story if I hear back.
What Lehto’s resignation means for Battlefield: While such a leadership shake-up is never a positive sign, DannyonPC I also take notes Ridgeline art director Chris Matthews left the company in January to join Halo Steward 343 Industries.
