Halo co-creator Marcus Lehto has expressed his disappointment that former staff of the now shuttered Ridgeline Games were not “properly” credited in Battlefield 6, despite building the “foundation” of the game.
Ridgeline Games, the studio co-founded by Lehto, was tasked with developing the narrative campaign in Battlefield 6. The studio was closed in February 2024 following Lehto’s departure — less than two years after it was set up — as part of a broader restructuring that saw EA lay off some 670 employees and shift away from future licensed IPs. At the time, EA said the work that was begun on the Battlefield single-player campaign would continue.
Fast forward to Battlefield 6’s record-breaking release, and Lehto has taken to LinkedIn to recognize the work done by his former staff at Ridgeline on the game.
“I’m disappointed to see that many of my former teammates from Ridgeline Games were not properly credited 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, building the foundation of the game, before I left voluntarily and the studio was subsequently shuttered. Despite their significant contributions, most who were laid off were relegated to a ‘Special Thanks’ section at the very end of the credits — and several were omitted entirely, including myself.
“Out of respect for my colleagues and the awesome work they poured into this project, I want to take a moment to properly recognize them — listing their names and roles as I would have preferred them to appear in the credits.
“Game development is a team effort, and every contributor deserves fair acknowledgment.”
IGN has asked EA for comment.
In an internal note issued at the time of Ridgeline’s closure, EA Entertainment president Laura Miele said that Criterion producer Danny Isaac and studio head of creative Darren White would replace Lehto to continue work on the planned narrative campaign, with some members of Ridgeline Games joining Ripple Effect to continue working on Battlefield.
EA would go on to announce Battlefield Studios, the four-strong developer collective 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 serving as creative director on Halo: Reach. He joined EA in the wake of criticism over Battlefield 2042’s lack of a single-player narrative campaign.
While Battlefield 6 has enjoyed enormous sales success and won plaudits for its multiplayer, the campaign was poorly received. IGN’s Battlefield 6 campaign review returned a 5/10. We said: “A safe, dull reimagining of what Battlefield once was, rather than a bold reinvention of what it could be.”
For more on Battlefield 6, visit IGN’s Battlefield 6 guide for a complete list and video of all campaign collectible locations, tips for getting an edge in multiplayer, and more.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].
