A veteran developer noted mainly as co-creator alongside Bungie of the Halo franchise, Lehto has publicly criticized Electronic Arts (EA) for what he calls a major oversight in not crediting those working on the latest Battlefield title. In an interview, Lehto has stated that he felt quite disappointed that the Ridgeline Games staff in his previous studio were not properly credited for all their contributions, after a long span of working on the game.
The grievance pertains to the recognition of employees who put in the hard work on the campaign for Battlefield 6. According to Lehto, many developers from Ridgeline spent anywhere from one to two-and a-half years helping shape the narrative experience. Yet, when the game finally shipped, those names were either totally absent or were mentioned in a very short “Special Thanks” section. It was another cut in the face to be put there, most seriously, in Lehto’s mind, since he was not credited for the work of leading this studio from the beginning of development on the single-player component. For professionals in this field, placement and deserving credit in the final credits of a title often become crucial validation in their careers and a recorded archive of their professional efforts.
The whole insult is additionally compounded by the considerations of what has happened since to the studio. Lehto left Ridgeline quietly in early 2024, but shortly afterwards an announcement came from EA declaring the complete shutdown of the Seattle-based studio, during a season of wide-ranging changes in corporate structure and mass layoffs throughout the publisher’s subsidiaries. Lehto has called being “gut punched” for the closure, lamenting the loss of extremely valuable staff members to the Battlefield franchise.
This controversy about the credits demonstrates a chronic tension that has existed in this foreverchanging industry, marked by the present widespread flux. The omission of names, even while acknowledging someone’s contributions in a lesser manner, sets a worrying precedent in matters of professional recognition, especially when it follows the disbandment of a team. With other major corporations, namely Microsoft and Tencent, executing layoffs in the same magnitude, this case serves to vividly illustrate the precariousness looking down on all developers of the gaming industry.
