Battlefield game director Marcus Lehto has confirmed that he left EA following reports that he recently exited the company.
The well-established game maker, who is also responsible for co-creating Halo, took to X/Twitter to share thoughts about his departure. He says it was his choice to leave the company, adding, “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,” Lehto said. “Your feedback will help make Battlefield stronger. I wish the teams at EA all the best moving forward.”
In a separate post, Lehto explained that he’ll be taking time away from games for now.
In the meantime, I will be taking time away from games to see what, if anything, I want to do next.
— Marcus Lehto ?? (@game_fabricator) February 27, 2024
In a statement, an EA spokesperson told IGN, "Marcus Lehto has made the personal decision to step down as the Director of Battlefield Narrative. The work on Battlefield 2042 and our upcoming, unannounced Battlefield Universe continues."
Lehto is best known for his work on Halo, but has done more than just co-create Microsoft’s flagship franchise. In 2014, he founded a new game studio called V1 Interactive, which went on to reveal an original sci-fi FPS called Disintegration. Following the project’s disappointing launch, V1 announced in 2021 that it would be closing its doors.
Later that same year, Lehto revealed he would be joining EA in Seattle to lead what was eventually revealed to be Ridgeline Games. Its goal was to create a narrative campaign set in the Battlefield universe.
“It is a great honor to have the opportunity to collaborate with DICE and Ripple Effect and lead the charge on expanding the narrative, storytelling and character development opportunities in the Battlefield series,” Lehto said at the time.
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.
Be sure to give him a follow on Twitter @MikeCripe.
