Former Battlefield director Marcus Lehto has expressed his disappointment with EA following the closure of his Ridgeline Games studio shortly after he left the company. Lehto, the founder of Ridgeline and co-creator of Halo, was involved in the development of Battlefield's upcoming single-player project.

Lehto's departure coincided with EA's announcement in late February about a 5% reduction in its workforce, affecting 670 employees worldwide. EA stated a shift in focus towards sports games, owned IP, and large online communities. The exact reasons for Lehto's resignation remain unconfirmed, but his studio was shut down the next day. While some Ridgeline staff transitioned to Ripple Effect (formerly DICE LA), most were part of EA's recent layoffs.

Following the news of Ridgeline's closure, Lehto expressed his dismay on February 28, mentioning his disappointment for his former team. Since then, he has refrained from commenting until a tweet on March 15 where he criticized EA and the impact of widespread industry layoffs, including those affecting his team. According to Kotaku, over 8,000 gaming industry employees have been laid off in the early months of 2024, with major companies like Sony, Microsoft, and Riot Games affected. The industry saw around 6,000 job cuts in the previous year.

Marcus Lehto Voices Criticism Towards EA

Lehto's future plans do not seem to involve EA, given his extensive experience as a creative and art director at companies like Bungie and V1 Interactive. His exit from EA coincided with another Battlefield creative director, Craig Morrison, leaving for Blue Scarab Entertainment.

An EA executive confirmed the relocation of Lehto's team members to Ripple Effect for their involvement in the next Battlefield installment, rumored to include a battle royale mode akin to Call of Duty's Warzone. This standalone, free-to-play mode is being developed by Byron Beede, formerly involved with Call of Duty's live services. The AAA battle royale by EA aims to differentiate itself from competitors like Warzone and Apex Legends.

For players enjoying Battlefield 2042, the game's Season 7 update details were recently unveiled, with the major patch scheduled for release on March 19.