Halo co-creator says he doesn't "hate" the TV show even if it feels like "a different universe"

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The Halo veteran says he isn't sure where the TV adaptation's "inspiration" comes from

Halo TV show
(Image credit: Paramount)

One of the original co-creators of the Halo franchise is speaking out about the new TV adaptation, and not in an entirely positive way. 

Marcus Lehto, who was art director at Bungie for seven years and co-created the Halo universe, says he doesn't hate the show but is confused about how it steers away from the source material. Responding to a lengthy Twitter thread about the myriad differences between the Halo TV show and the games, Lehto chimed in with this initial criticism: "Yeah, I’m not sure where the inspiration for the show comes from now. Not the Halo I made."

In the few short days since the above tweet went live, Lehto's blunt critique of the show has attracted a lot of attention both from social media users and the media, and he's since followed up multiple times to clarify that there are parts of the show he likes, specifically the "great VFX."

"I never said I didn't like it," he clarified. "It's just so different than the Halo I helped make - like it's a different universe."

"I didn't say I hate the show," he said in another tweet. "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."

Indeed, there has been a lot of debate around how faithfully the show adapts the source material, and naturally everyone has different opinions. GamesRadar's Alyssa Mercante has written positively about the show, as have numerous others, but a lot of fans aren't happy with how much it changes about the original story, setting, and characters. For what it's worth, we've been mostly pleased with the show, particularly episode 6. Different strokes, eh?

The people making the show have been pretty upfront about their intention to tell an original story, revealing ahead of the show's debut that it exists in a separate canon called "the Silver Timeline," and discouraging comparisons between the show's Master Chief and the one in the games.

Looking for something new to watch? Don't miss our guides to the best video game movies and best TV shows of all time.

Jordan Gerblick
Jordan Gerblick

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.