Recently departed Battlefield director Marcus Lehto has said that he hasn’t commented on his resignation or the mass layoffs at Electronic Arts because he doesn’t “have anything positive to say” about the publisher. Lehto, who co-created the Halo franchise, was tasked to shape the next Battlefield game’s narrative. However, following his departure, his studio Ridgeline was shut down by EA.
Battlefield director’s departure was a “personal decision,” says EA
EA put out a statement following Lehto’s resignation, claiming that it was his “personal decision.” Lehto confirmed as much on Twitter, adding that the decision to leave EA “on my own accord” was “very tough.” He later seemed shocked by the closure of Ridgeline and the ousting of his entire team, calling it a “gut punch” and suggesting that he was not aware of EA’s plans to wind down the developer.
From the sound of things, EA and Lehto didn’t share the same vision for the future amid cost cutting exercises, prompting him to leave.
“To ensure our work continues uninterrupted, we immediately appointed leadership at Criterion to oversee our single-player work,” EA said of the next Battlefield game in late February.
Following the lackluster launch and reception of Battlefield 2042, EA said that the next Battlefield game will offer single-player narrative.
