Marcus Lehto, one of the co-creators of the original Halo, has just shared his opinions on the recently released remake of the groundbreaking 2001 sci-fi shooter, Halo: Campaign Evolved. While Lehto says he has a few “gripes” with the remake, he says that they take “a back seat to the fun” when actually playing through Halo: Campaign Evolved.
Joining Bungie in 1997, Marcus Lehto initially worked as an artist on Myth: The Fallen Lords. Soon after, Lehto became the art director on the very first Halo game, and maintained that leadership role throughout the rest of the original Halo trilogy. The last Halo game Lehto officially worked on was 2010’s Halo: Reach, with the Bungie veteran leaving the studio in October 2012 to pursue other video game development interests. In 2014, Marcus Lehto founded V1 Interactive, which was closed in March 2021. Soon after, Lehto founded Ridgeline Games, which he ultimately left in February 2024, just seven months before EA would shutter the studio entirely.
Halo Co-Creator Calls Campaign Evolved ‘Brilliant’
About a week after its full launch, Marcus Lehto has given his first impressions of Halo: Campaign Evolved, a full ground-up remake of the series’ debut entry that Lehto worked as art director on. Over on Twitter, Lehto posted that he’s been slowly making his way through Halo: Campaign Evolved on Heroic difficulty, which he anecdotally states is the difficulty the original Bungie-made version of the game was designed to be played on.
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Generally, Marcus Lehto shares some very positive sentiments about Halo: Campaign Evolved. The series co-creator expresses that he “really loves” the remake’s upgrades, specifically highlighting the new movement mechanics, cinematics, and visuals. Lehto also goes out of his way to mention Halo: Campaign Evolved’s lighting, which he describes as “brilliant.” Lehto goes on to say that he has “a few” gripes, but does not detail them, and says that they “are taking a back seat to the fun.”
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In the replies to Lehto’s recent Twitter post, one fan expresses their disappointment with the remake’s new cutscenes and re-recorded dialogue, and calls Halo: Campaign Evolved an “okay game” and an unnecessary remake. Marcus Lehto has replied to this comment, stating that remaking Halo: Combat Evolved in Unreal Engine “took real effort” and was ultimately a “worthwhile effort.” Lehto also states that he likes “many of the liberties taken and additions with the cinematics,” but agrees that “a few are absolutely cringe.”
On the whole, Halo: Campaign Evolved has been met with a warm reception from critics. On OpenCritic, Halo: Campaign Evolved is currently sitting at a Top Critic Average of 82 and a critic recommendation score of 86%, giving the remake a ‘Strong’ rating. Halo: Campaign Evolved‘s Steam user review score tells a different story, however. The Halo remake is currently sitting at a ‘Mixed’ rating on Steam after 11,031 user reviews. Some users have complained about the remake’s lack of modes, its audio design, and some excessive hand holding, while others have detailed some minor and major bugs that affected their playthroughs.
- Released
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July 28, 2026
- Developer(s)
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Halo Studios
- Publisher(s)
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Microsoft Studios
- Multiplayer
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Online Co-Op, Local Co-Op
- Cross-Platform Play
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Yes – all platforms
