I did not watch the Halo TV show on Paramount +, so I have no opinion on it. However, former Halo art director Marcus Lahto has seen it, and has opinions – and he was not ashamed to share them on Twitter.
His passion was with Bongi from the early days, winning graphics and artwork in Myth: The Fallen Lords before becoming Art Director in Halo: Combat Evolved, a role he played through Halo 2 and 3. He then served as Creative Director at Halo: Reach, the last Halo game developed by Bungie, before leaving the studio in 2012.
It’s fair to say that history has earned him some thoughts on the Halo TV series, and he has shared some of them on Twitter. “I’m still going through the series. Lots of emotions and mixed opinions!” He said last weekend, when a follower first asked him about it.
However, this opinion seemed to have hardened a few days later. “I’m not sure where the inspiration for the show is coming from now,” he said Tweeted on Twitter During a conversation with followers. “Not the aura I made.” In response to another fan, he quickly clarified the point: “the aura I helped make.”
Yes, I’m not sure where the inspiration for the show comes from right now. Not the aura I made.May 16, 2022
It sounds pretty harsh, but Lahto later noted that it does not imply criticism, only change. “For the sake of clarity, I never said I did not like it,” he said Tweeted on Twitter Later. “It’s just so different from the aura I’ve helped to do – it’s like another universe.
“I actually like some of the battle scenes. Cool action and some great VFX. Especially, the plasma effects in ep1 are in place.”
I did not say I hated the show. Interesting parts. Just confused by a lot of the choices made that feel pretty far removed from the core fiction I helped create.May 18, 2022
It is not too difficult to understand the point of view of his passion. He is one of the original leading characters responsible for creating Halo, so he will have deep connections to it, but he has also been absent from the series for more than a decade – Halo: Reach came out in 2010. Things have changed a lot since then, and it’s fair for passion (or anyone, really) to say it’s cool, But that’s not my aura.
(To be fair, the Halo series didn’t exactly drop our socks either, though chattering around the virtual office shows that some have warmed up to it. It’s amazing what a small ass can do).
Not to mention the Halo TV series on Twitter, Lahto heads a new studio in Electronic Arts, where he works on the Battlefield series.