After EA Ridgeline Games, where the ex-boss used to work, has been shut down, and he has criticized the company and ongoing industry job cuts.
Marcus Lehto, known for co-creating Halo, has expressed his frustration with Electronic Arts, for closing down his previous studio. closed his former studio.
Lehto created Ridgeline Games in Seattle in 2021 and was developing a single-player campaign for an upcoming Battlefield game.
However, the developer confirmed he left the studio willingly at the end of February with a tweet saying, 'I will take a break from games to figure out my next steps.'
A day later, EA announced the closure of Ridgeline Games as part of company-wide layoffs, which Lehto described as a 'gut punch'.
Lehto further commented on Twitter, saying, 'I haven't said much here because I don't have anything positive to say about EA, my recent departure, and the widespread layoffs affecting my team and others.'
The game Ridgeline was working on will now be finished by Criterion Games, the studio behind the Need For Speed series.
EA's recent layoffs affected 5% of its workforce and led to the cancellation of various projects, including a Star Wars shooter at Respawn and mobile games F1 Racing and MLB Tap Sports, among others.
EA CEO Andrew Wilson stated that the company is 'shifting focus to our owned IP, sports, and massive online communities', moving away from developing future licensed IP that may not succeed in the evolving industry.
EA cut 6% of its workforce in March last year as part of industry-wide layoffs.
After the disappointing sales of Battlefield 2042, EA announced plans for a 'connected Battlefield universe'. Recently, reports suggested the next mainline entry is set for release in 2025and will include a free-to-play battle royale.
