Alumni Profile: Marcus Lehto

In the gaming world there are legends. Legendary games, legendary franchises and legendary creators. 

Marcus Lehto, graduate of Kent State University's Visual Communication Design program is one such legend. One who created a legendary game that became a legendary franchise. How Lehto's life took him from Kent, Ohio, to the Pacific Northwest to work on creating one of the most iconic video games is the cover story in the November 2025 issue of the Kent State Magazine.

In 1997, Lehto took a job as an artist at video game studio Bungie to work on the game Myth: The Fallen Lords then eventually took on the role of art director for a new title Bungie was developing, Halo: Combat Evolved. Recognized as co-creator of the Halo universe, Lehto is also known as "the father of Master Chief," the game series' protagonist and hero.

Lehto recently returned to Kent State's campus to talk to students about his creative journey and the video game industry as well as following your creative passions and interests. He also took time to record an episode of the Toddcast, the podcast hosted by Kent State's President, Todd Diacon. Here's a look at that episode.