The 'father of Master Chief' calls Trump and ICE's Halo posts "absolutely abhorrent" as former devs speak out

As Microsoft's Halo: Campaign Evolved attempts to relight the spark for one of the best FPS games of the noughties, several of the original creators of the series have spoken out against US President Donald Trump and the Department of Homeland Security's attempts to borrow the imagery in support of their own agendas. Among the voices is the man known as the 'father of the Master Chief,' who has slammed a Halo-themed recruitment ad for the DHS's immigration agency, ICE, as "abhorrent."

The posts in question include an AI-generated image of President Trump wearing Master Chief's Spartan suit and carrying an energy sword, and a recruitment ad for ICE using Halo imagery and the slogan "destroy the Flood." The Flood in Halo are a parasitic, alien lifeform, making the political dog whistle pretty hard to miss. Speaking to Game File, Halo co-creator and lead designer of Master Chief Marcus Lehto called this particular post "absolutely abhorrent," adding, "It really makes me sick seeing Halo co-opted like this."

Jaime Griesemer, a chief designer on several early Halo entries, also shared his criticism of the DHS post with Game File's Stephen Totilo. "Using Halo imagery in a call to 'destroy' people because of their immigration status goes way too far, and ought to offend every Halo fan, regardless of political orientation." He continues, "I personally find it despicable. The Flood are evil space zombie parasites and are not an allegory to any group of people."

Speaking about the game's original themes, Griesemer says, "I think Halo's world is rich and wide and has layers that reward a deeper look, and it has had an outsized impact on culture, so it is easy to read into it and see elements of current events." Typically, he considers such usage of the imagery by politicians and brands "as a compliment to Halo's continuing legacy."

However, Griesemer emphasizes that the story of Halo "was not written as an allegory to any specific religion or political party or movement. The Prophets are not Popes, the Grunts are not Wahhabis, and the Flood are definitely not illegal immigrants," he explains. "The Master Chief is not a Christ figure and Cortana is not the Virgin Mary, I guess?"

Microsoft still has yet to comment on the situation, and, with its recent donation towards Trump's $300 million White House ballroom, I wouldn't expect to see any sudden change of heart or grand gesture in response to the criticisms.

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