Bungie veteran Marcus Lehto, one of the key architects of the original Halo games, has taken to Twitter to air his thoughts about Paramount and Showtime’s new live-action series starring Pablo Schreiber, and he doesn’t seem exactly thrilled with it. Echoing the thoughts of a fan who claims that the new show isn’t Halo and strays “away from the heart of the series/game,” Lehto agreed, stating that he wasn’t sure where the show’s inspiration had come from, going so far as to say that the project is “not the Halo I made.” Lehto went on to clarify that while he doesn’t hate the series outright and that some parts are interesting, he is “confused” by many of the choices that were made by the showrunners. Some of these might include showing Master Chief naked and Cortana watching him lose his virginity.
Yeah, I’m not sure where the inspiration for the show comes from now. Not the Halo I made.
— Marcus Lehto 🇺🇦 (@game_fabricator) May 16, 2022
I didn't say I hate the show. Some parts are interesting. Just confused by many of the choices that were made which feel pretty far outside the core fiction I helped create.
— Marcus Lehto 🇺🇦 (@game_fabricator) May 18, 2022
Lehto was with Bungie from the early days, credited for graphics and artwork on Myth: The Fallen Lords before becoming art director on Halo: Combat Evolved, a role he held through Halo 2 and 3. He then served as creative director on Halo: Reach, the last Halo game to be developed by Bungie, before leaving the studio in 2012.
It’s not too hard to understand Lehto’s perspective. He’s one of the original leading figures responsible for the creation of Halo so he’s bound to have deep connections to it, but he’s also been away from the series for well over a decade—Halo: Reach came out in 2010. Things have changed a lot since then, and it’s fair for Lehto (or anyone, really) to say that it’s cool, but it ain’t my Halo.
Source: Marcus Lehto (via PC Gamer)