Former director of a new Battlefield game, Marcus Lehto, has spoken out against EA after leaving the company and witnessing the closure of the studio he helped create.
Lehto, known for co-creating the Halo franchise at Bungie, founded Ridgeline Games in Seattle in 2021. At Ridgeline, he was working on a new single-player Battlefield game. However, he left the studio last month under unclear circumstances, and EA later confirmed the closure of Ridgeline Games.
Lehto shared his disappointment on social media, stating: “Not been saying much here since I don’t have anything positive to say about EA, my recent departure, and how so many, including my team, are suffering due to the industry sweeping layoffs.” Fans showed support, with one calling EA “the epitome of corporate greed”.
EA Entertainment president Laura Miele announced last month that Ridgeline would be “winding down” amidst company-wide layoffs. Some staff would join Ripple Effect in Los Angeles, working on a new multiplayer experience for Battlefield, while Criterion Games would handle the next single-player project.
Regarding Lehto’s departure, Miele stated: “Marcus Lehto recently made a personal decision to leave the project,” she said. “To ensure our work continues uninterrupted, we immediately appointed leadership at Criterion to oversee our single-player work.
“As part of this change, we’ll be winding down Ridgeline as a standalone studio in Seattle, with some team members joining Ripple Effect. They’ll continue to work with teams across DICE, Ripple, and Criterion as they build the next Battlefield experience.”
