Legendary Master Chief actor says he didn't like doing voice work for Halo 5's misleading ads because it made it harder to "stay true to the character"

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Legendary Master Chief actor says he didn't like doing voice work for Halo 5's misleading ads because it made it harder to "stay true to the character" News By Jordan Gerblick published 24 January 2026

"The chief was being pushed in a direction that I didn't feel was particularly right"

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The iconic voice of Master Chief in Halo, Steve Downes, has spoken out about Halo 5's weirdly misleading promotional videos... more than 10 years later.

In case you weren't around or have forgotten, before Halo 5's release in 2015, 343 and Microsoft released various trailers and promotional videos showing all sorts of stuff that would end up not being included at all and in some cases was seriously misleading, specifically Master Chief's relationship with the game's other playable protagonist, Spartan Locke.

According to Downes, it was difficult to perform for these misleading ads because he felt like it was a betrayal of character.

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"When I was in session for the game, we also did separate sessions that ended up being promos and trailers to promote Halo 5, and as many of you know, those stories, those trailers sort of led you to believe one thing when in fact it was another thing in the actual game," said Downes in a recent YouTube AMA. "And I sort of knew that when we were doing it, and felt that perhaps the Chief was being pushed in a direction that I didn't feel was particularly right. So, trying to keep the director happy and also be true to the character became a little more of a challenge than what I was used to."

The Voice of Master Chief Answers Halo Fans’ Biggest Questions | Steve Downes Q&A - YouTube Watch On

There's never been an official explanation for why these pre-release materials were so deceptive, but a common theory is that the game went through a major rewrite after the ads had been produced and it was too late to re-do them.

At another point the AMA, Downes got onto the much more topical issue of generative AI in video game development, and made his stance very clear: AI voice cloning is "where we cross a line."

Halo: Campaign Evolved is a faithful remake tasked with relaunching a legendary franchise: "We see this as a way to grow, expand, and reconnect the Halo community"

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Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Jordan GerblickSocial Links Navigation

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.

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Logout Read more Halo Master Chief actor tells AI to keep its filthy paws off of his voice: "That's where we cross a line"    Bungie had an unspoken rule for Halo cinematics: "Never make the player in the cinematic feel more 'badass' than the actual game"    Halo's Cortana actor says the direction Bungie gave her for the FPS was to sound like "the girl next door" that you "wanted to hang out with, but you're not in love with"    Halo co-creator Marcus Lehto redesigned Master Chief 9 times before perfecting the Xbox mascot: "It took forever, but I wasn't going to stop"    Halo: Campaign Evolved is a faithful remake tasked with relaunching a legendary franchise for a new generation of players    Baldur's Gate 3 actor Neil Newbon says AI voices "sound crap" and studios should pay actors to re-record those lines    Latest in Halo Halo Master Chief actor tells AI to keep its filthy paws off of his voice: "That's where we cross a line"    Halo: Campaign Evolved is coming to PS5 because the FPS is "best played when we have a large, healthy community"    Halo: Campaign Evolved is a faithful remake tasked with relaunching a legendary franchise for a new generation of players    Halo: Reach devs "had to fight tooth and nail to keep space combat" after Bungie wanted to cut it    Halo's Cortana actor says the direction Bungie gave her for the FPS was to sound like "the girl next door" that you "wanted to hang out with, but you're not in love with"    After Apple originally announced the first version of Halo in 1999, Xbox apparently called Bungie and said "'Steve Jobs can't have that. We're going to buy you.'"    Latest in News Fable "nicked" The Office's mockumentary-style interviews: "A lot of people assume we just did that for those trailers"    Fable doesn't have morphing and fans are divided: "It's what helped set Fable apart from other Middle Ages Western RPGs"    Xbox Game Studios lead can't say when we'll see State of Decay 3, but he'll "see a lot more of it in the coming year"    Fable's new morality system is "probably representative of how morality exists in the world that we live in today"    The Super Mario Galaxy Movie second trailer finally reveals Yoshi and he's adorable    Tom Cruise movie Digger is “nothing like that experience I've ever had before” according to Rogue One star Riz Ahmed    GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS

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