Halo Co-Creator Hates Campaign Evolved's New Ring

Halo Co-Creator Says Campaign Evolved's New Ring Is "Offensive" And "Damn Ugly" Published Aug 13, 2026, 2:20 PM EDT Joshua Robertson is an editor for TheGamer, having working in news, guides, features, and reviews since 2022. They have written thousands of news stories, ranging from industry-breaking events, to smaller, more personal community pieces, and have covered several high-profile showcases such as The Game Awards and Nintendo Directs. Joshua is considered an expert in soulslikes, horror, JRPGs and everything Final Fantasy, having written extensive coverage for massively popular online titles like Final Fantasy 14. Sign in to your TheGamer account Halo: Campaign Evolved has received somewhat of a mixed response since its release. It seems to be fairly well put together, but people aren't exactly rushing out to buy it, and there are a lot of complaints from fans of the original about certain changes that have been made. Most of them are graphical, as a lot of the grime and grittiness has been smoothed out in the remake, something that a lot of remakes are guilty of doing recently, and the complaints actually extend outside the main fanbase too. Now the game's been on store shelves for a little while, Halo co-creator Marcus Lehto has now had his say, and one particular aspect of the remake has irked him quite a bit. In a tweet posted earlier today (thanks Eurogamer), Lehto explains that one of his biggest issues with Campaign Evolved is the design of the iconic Ring. His main concern is that the Ring appears to be bright and shiny in the remake, rather than something that looks battered and ancient, as well as some of the lore surrounding the actual Ring itself. "While Forerunner tech was metal (not stone), it was also ancient, vast, alive, and a tomb to the horrors that lurked within," says Lehto. "It had seen hundreds of millennia of conflict. Yet the game shows it as shiny metal that looks like it was built a few years ago." "The main menu ring is the most offensive thing we see every time we boot up the game. It should feel massive, dark, mysterious, sinister, but also full of wonder. This new ring looks like a shiny new toy — out of scale, no mystery, damn ugly." Lehto also argues that the Ring is canonically located on the fringes of the Milky Way galaxy, which is why you can see it on the main menu screen of the original Combat Evolved. In Campaign Evolved, the Milky Way backdrop is actually missing, which just makes the lore feel a little bit inconsequential, and it makes the background feel a little dull. Released July 28, 2026 Developer(s) Halo Studios Publisher(s) Microsoft Studios Multiplayer Online Co-Op, Local Co-Op Cross-Platform Play Yes - all platforms Genre(s) FPS, Science Fiction, Shooter, Multiplayer