Master Chief Design Took Nine Tries To Get Right: “It Took Forever,” Creator Says

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As a huge Master Chief fan, I was really fascinated to hear Marcus Lehto, the character’s creator, talk about how they designed him! Apparently, he and the team at Bungie experimented with a lot of different ideas before finally landing on the look we all recognize and love. It’s cool to think about how different things could have been!

According to designer Marcus Lehto, developing the character of Master Chief involved a lot of experimentation to get his appearance, personality, and physical presence just right. Lehto shared this in an interview with Kent State Magazine, noting that he is an alumnus of the university.

According to the report, initial sketches of Master Chief were considered too thin and overly designed. To create the final look, Lehto drew inspiration from various sources, such as the shape of an M1 Abrams tank, an Apache helicopter, and a BMX helmet.

I really applied what I learned at Kent State to simplify the design, focusing on its most fundamental visual parts. Keeping a design simple is crucial to avoid making it too complicated.

Lehto explained that he created nine different versions of the Master Chief character before landing on the final design we all recognize. He said the process took a long time, but he refused to give up, remembering a lesson he learned during his training: you shouldn’t stop after just one attempt.

So, I was listening to Lehto talk about the original Master Chief – how he looked way back in the first Halo game when it came out in 2001. It’s crazy to think about how long ago that was! He’s definitely had a few tweaks over the years – it’s been over 20 years now – but honestly, he still looks pretty much like the Chief we all know and love.

During the interview, Lehto explained how Bungie ended up being acquired by Microsoft instead of Apple. He recalled the initial reveal of Halo at Macworld 1999, where Steve Jobs himself announced and promoted the game for Mac. Lehto then shared that Microsoft approached Bungie, essentially stating they wouldn’t allow Jobs to claim Halo as a Mac exclusive.

Microsoft proposed acquiring Bungie, relocating the team from Chicago to Washington, and developing Halo exclusively for Xbox. The game became a massive success for Microsoft, leading to the creation of many follow-up titles.

In 2026, the Halo series will celebrate its 25th anniversary. To commemorate the milestone, Microsoft is releasing a remastered version of the original Halo: Combat Evolved. This version will be available on Xbox, PC, and, for the first time, PlayStation 5. Beyond this remaster, Microsoft is also developing other new Halo games, including one described as a live-service experience similar to Fortnite.

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2025-11-26 18:40