Marcus Lehto, former creative director of Ridgeline Games, a now-closed EA studio tasked with creating the campaign of Battlefield 6, expressed disappointment in EA relegating the former staff to a “Special Thanks” section in the game’s credits, with some members allegedly omitted entirely.
“I’m disappointed to see that many of my former teammates from Ridgeline Games were not properly credited in the recent release of Battlefield 6,” Lehto wrote yesterday on LinkedIn. He adds that “these talented developers worked tirelessly for 1 to 2.5 years building the foundation of the game.”
The former staff, listed in Battlefield 6’s credits under the “Special Thanks” section, are at the very bottom of the credits (as corroborated with footage uploaded by GamersPrey on YouTube). The list only includes names, but Lehto created an image reflecting the role of each former staffer, which he shared on the same LinkedIn post.
The image includes five names with “(omitted)” next to them, including Lehto himself. A couple of hours after the post, a current developer at EA clarified that three out of the five credited people are indeed listed in the credits. As such, this means that at least two names were allegedly omitted from the credits.
“Out of respect for my colleagues and the awesome work they poured into this project, I want to take a moment to properly recognize them—listing their names and roles as I would have preferred them to appear in the credits,” Lehto’s post concludes. “Game development is a team effort, and every contributor deserves fair acknowledgment.”
Related:Kim Swift, former Portal lead developer, joins NEARstudios as COO
An unceremonious closure to Ridgeline Games
For reference, Ridgeline began back in 2021 when EA recruited Lehto to start a Seattle-based studio. The following year, the publisher revealed the studio and announced that it had been appointed to create the campaign for the upcoming entry in the Battlefield franchise, collaborating with Ripple Effect (formerly DICE LA). Then, in February 2024, Lehto suddenly left the company, which he later confirmed was a voluntary move.
Days later, EA shuttered Ridgeline, after the publisher announced it would be laying off 5 percent of its workforce and moving away from licensed IPs that can no longer deliver success in a “changing industry.” Back then, EA said work on the project was set to continue under the guidance of Criterion, while some members of Ridgeline would be joining Ripple Effect.
EA has continued laying off workers in 2025, affecting hundreds of staff members as well as multiple projects at Respawn Entertainment that are now canceled. Back in May, the publisher lauded its performance during the 2025 fiscal year (FY25), and claimed it was now primed for “accelerated growth.”
Related:Megabonk dev withdraws from The Game Awards over ‘unqualified’ nomination
Last week, Electronic Arts workers, in conjunction with the video game union United Videogame Workers-CWA Local 9433, released a public statement criticizing the Saudi Arabia-led buyout of the company and calling for regulatory scrutiny. In it, the parties argued that the deal jeopardizes workers at the company who have already spent two years enduring layoffs and studio closures. EA informed workers that “no immediate layoffs” will take place upon the completion of the buyout, but given the company’s decisions over the past couple of years, people remain skeptical, to say the least.
Game Developer has contacted EA for clarification on the matter.