The co-creator of Halo claims fans wouldn’t like his vision for new games in the series if he were still working on the franchise.
Marcus Lehto outlined his vision on Twitter, saying he would have a darker and more “grounded military feel” if he made a new Halo game. He believes that many fans wouldn’t actually like it and it wouldn’t be “everyone’s Halo.” He went on to note that, although he would respect the current lore of the Halo universe, he would “bench” it to pave the way for a new narrative future for new and old fans alike.
When a fan asked if his vision was close to something like Halo: Reach, Lehto pushed back and seemed to express displeasure with that game: “God no.” Gears of War creator Cliff Bleszinski chimed in on the thread, noting that he wanted to see a “hard R” Halo game, likely suggesting something more edgy and violent. Lehto responded by saying he would want Bleszinski’s help with such a thing, prompting the Gears of War creator to invite Lehto to DM him.
I would probably bench much of the current lore – respect it, but build a new future narrative for both the old and new audiences which makes much more sense.
— Marcus Lehto (@game_fabricator) August 19, 2026
Later on, Lehto told fans that his vision is “fanciful” and doubts Xbox CEO Asha Sharma “gives a s**t.” In essence, don’t expect any of this to become a reality, at least under the Halo IP. He did, however, offer a piece of advice to leadership: “Halo MUST be built by a local team together, not outsourced around the globe to a group that has ZERO investment in making something great,” he said.
This is partially in reference to the fact Halo Studios utilizes a lot of contractors with steady turnover. In many cases, these contractors are cut loose once their project is over, and they bring in a new batch of developers on the next game. Halo: Campaign Evolved experienced a lot of difficulties as a result of outsourcing, and the development challenges reportedly led to leadership diverting resources from a new Halo multiplayer game to save the remake. Lehto has also been outspoken in criticizing the recent Halo remake.
As of right now, the future for Halo is unclear. It seems like a Halo 2 remake may happen at some point and there will almost certainly be another mainline game. What that next step looks like remains up in the air, however.
Cade Onder is a freelancer for IGN’s news team. He covers all things entertainment, including gaming, film, and more. You can find him on Twitter @Cade_Onder.