Halo co-creator Marcus Lehto expressed disappointment that former employees of the now-shuttered Ridgeline Games were not “properly” credited on the Halo creator list. Battlefield 6despite creating the “foundation” of the game.
Ridgeline Games, the studio co-founded by Lehto, was tasked with developing Battlefield 6's story campaign. The studio closed in February 2024 following Lehto's departure. – less than two years after its creation – as part of a wider restructuring in which EA lays off about 670 employees and gives up future licensed IPs. At the time, EA stated that work begun on Battlefield's single-player campaign would continue.
Fast forward to the record-breaking release of Battlefield 6, and Lehto took over LinkedIn to honor the work his former employees at Ridgeline did on the game.
“I'm disappointed to see that many of my former teammates from Ridgeline Games were not properly mentioned in the recent release of Battlefield 6,” he said in a post that included a list of names under the Ridgeline Games banner.
“These talented developers worked tirelessly for 1 to 2.5 years creating the core of the game before I left voluntarily and the studio was subsequently shut down. Despite their significant contributions, most of those fired were relegated to a “Special Thanks” section at the very end of the credits, and some were omitted entirely, including me.
“Out of respect for my colleagues and the amazing work they put into this project, I want to take a moment to properly recognize them—by listing their names and roles as I would prefer them to appear in the credits.
“Game development is a team effort, and everyone involved deserves fair recognition.”
IGN asked EA to comment on the situation.
In an internal memo published during Ridgeline's closure, EA Entertainment President Laura Miele said Criterion producer Danny Isaac and studio creative chief Darren White would replace Lehto to continue work on the planned narrative campaign, with some members of Ridgeline Games joining to Ripple Effect to continue working on Battlefield.
EA has announced Battlefield Studios, a team of four developers working on the mega-publisher's Battlefield franchise. It currently includes DICE, Ripple Effect, Motive and Criterion.
Lehto is a Bungie veteran whose portfolio includes work as Creative Director. Halo: Reach. He joined EA following criticism over Battlefield 2042's lack of a single-player story campaign.
Although Battlefield 6 was a huge sales success and earned praise for its multiplayer mode, the campaign was poorly received. IGN Battlefield 6 Campaign Review returned 5/10. We said, “A safe and boring reimagining of what Battlefield once was, rather than a bold reimagining of what it could have been.”
To learn more about Battlefield 6, visit IGN's Battlefield 6 Guide for complete list and video of all collectible campaign locations, Tips on how to get an edge in a multiplayer gameand much more.
Wesley is IGN's News Director. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can contact Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].
