The lead designer of Kepler Interactive and Ironwood Studios’ survival game, Pacific Drive, is asking people to not buy and play the game on Xbox, and opt for other platforms instead.
In the latest edition of GameFile, it was revealed that the lead designer of Pacific Drive, which launched on Xbox and Game Pass last week, is urging people to buy and play the game on other platforms. It’s worth highlighting that the developer speaks for himself, and not the studio. He parted ways with Ironwood Studios a few months ago in July, 2025. As such, he didn’t work on the Xbox version of Pacific Drive.
As for why the lead designer of Pacific Drive is asking those interested in the game to support it on platforms besides Xbox, it is mentioned that the developer is irked by Microsoft’s silence on the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)’s recent Halo-themed recruitment ad. The ad used the series’ iconic slogan “Finishing the fight” and urged potential recruits to “Destroy the Flood”, a phrase that, in this context, appeared to equate immigrants with Halo’s alien enemy. The post quickly went viral, surpassing 26 million views on Twitter/X. While some commenters applauded the post as clever political marketing, others condemned it as a gross misappropriation of gaming culture for xenophobic purposes.
Among those voicing disapproval were two key figures behind the Halo franchise. Marcus Lehto, co-creator of Halo and designer of Master Chief, told Game File that the DHS/ICE post was “absolutely abhorrent.” He added, “It really makes me sick seeing Halo co-opted like this.”
Jaime Griesemer, another veteran developer who worked on the original trilogy, offered a more nuanced but equally firm response. “Halo is a cultural icon and like anything with cultural capital, it is going to be used by politicians and brands and anyone else looking for relevancy,” he said. “Usually I take it as a compliment to Halo’s continuing legacy.” However, he drew a clear line regarding the ICE post. “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.”
