Last month, we announced that Halo co-creator Marcus Lehto had left EA. In a message Lehto shared on March 16, he said he had nothing “positive to say about EA”. After spending time in silence, the former director of a new Battlefield game has shared an update about his career.
“Finally rising back up from the post-EA funk I’ve been in,” Marcus Lehto shared on Monday, April 8, via a tweet. “Time to think about what’s next. New studio or retirement?”
Fans of the former director trooped to the comment section of his tweet to share their opinion. We hardly spotted one comment that it was time for Marcus Lehto to retire suggesting a lot of gamers believe the director still has a lot to offer to the game industry.
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YouTuber Danny wrote, “What’s a game you still want to make? If you got something, let’s go! If there’s nothing that comes up in your mind, take it easy”.
BF4NTON wrote, “Maybe a new studio that will create the battlefield game you were envisioning while being at EA.”
While that sounds like a good idea, it is technically impossible for Marcus Lehto to start a new studio and make a Battlefield game because he doesn’t own the IP. He would need to get a nod from the publisher Electronic Arts. Given the circumstances surrounding his departure from EA, approaching his former employer for a Battlefield license may be a tough call.
“The selfish part of me says keep going because everything you put your hands on ends up being special,” wrote JOK5RR, an FPS content creator. “But if it’s time to hang it up, hang it up and enjoy life!”
Another FPS player Kreeped wrote, “Definitely a new studio, make it happen man. Go lean and mean, opportunity exists”.
The circumstances around Marcus Lehto’s exit from EA are still unclear
The reason for Marcus Lehto’s sudden departure from EA is still unclear. However, it is likely linked to the reorganization at Electronic Arts which pulled lots of teams into the new Battlefield project. We guess that the decision led to a conflict of ideas about what the project should be.
Managing a large team is always difficult unless there is a stifling of creative freedom of some sort. Given Marcus Lehto’s history of making blockbuster titles, it would be difficult for him to work under a condition where he has a limited say on the project he was working on.
Perhaps, his ideas were turned down several times and he felt there was no need to continue working on the project and had to quietly step aside from the studio he founded in 2021. It is also possible Marcus Lehto wanted a more prominent position in the project but didn’t get it. This is just a guess! We hope that one day he might have the freedom to share what went wrong.
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Around September 2023, Vince Zapella who is the group general manager for Apex Legends, Star Wars Jedi, Battlefield, and Need for Speed shared a message where he announced that Criterion Games will be joining EA Entertainment.
“As we’ve said before, we’re all-in on Battlefield,” Zapella said. “Today, Criterion is added to our world-class Battlefield studios dedicated to ushering in a new era for the franchise. The majority of the team will be working alongside DICE, Ripple Effect, and Ridgeline which are led by Byron Beede, GM of Battlefield.”
“Criterion’s experience with Battlefield, our technology, and building engaging experiences will have an immediate positive impact as we continue to work on Battlefield 2042, and as we continue pre-production on a connected Battlefield Universe.”
