'The Flood Are Evil Space Zombie Parasites and Are Not an Allegory to Any Group of People' — Original Halo Devs Hit Out at Homeland Security ICE Recruitment Ad

Key members of the archetypal Halo improvement squad person deed retired astatine the Department of Homeland Security’s usage of Microsoft's first-person shooter to beforehand ICE, with 1 saying: “it makes maine sick.”

This week, IGN reported connected however the White House had waded into the console wars with an AI representation of Donald Trump saluting arsenic Master Chief successful beforehand of an American emblem with lone 40 stars. It has been viewed 43.2 cardinal times truthful far.

Power to the Players https://t.co/GqNu0qdgmw pic.twitter.com/4Hw6G7i7aW

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) October 27, 2025

It followed Microsoft’s announcement of Halo: Campaign Evolved, a remake of the run of 2001’s Halo: Combat Evolved, which is owed retired connected Xbox Series X and S, PC, and PlayStation 5 astatine immoderate constituent successful 2026. It is the archetypal Halo crippled ever to motorboat connected a PlayStation console, and cements Microsoft’s presumption arsenic a multiplatform video crippled developer.

The Trump medication past doubled down connected the Halo AI images, with the Department of Homeland Security utilizing Halo to enlistee for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s website (ICE). In a station connected societal media, present viewed 26 cardinal times, Homeland Security said “destroy the Flood” and “finishing this fight,” referencing Halo’s parasitic alien force and its long-running slogan. The usage of the Flood present is simply a wide examination to the immigrants ICE rounds up for deportation.

Finishing this fight. pic.twitter.com/6Ezq9NUqMq

— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) October 27, 2025

While Microsoft has truthful acold remained soundless connected the contented (IGN has asked for comment), Marcus Lehto, who was the creation manager connected Combat Evolved and frankincense heavy progressive successful the iconic look of Halo itself, slammed the ICE station successful an interrogation with Game File. He called the ICE station “absolutely abhorrent,” adding: “It truly makes maine sick seeing Halo co-opted similar this.”

Game File besides spoke with Jaime Griesemer, different 1 of the cardinal developers down Halo and who was astir progressive with designing Halo’s celebrated ‘30 seconds of fun’ gameplay loop. He was little bothered by the Trump post, but took contented with the ICE post.

“Using Halo imagery successful a telephone to ‘destroy’ radical due to the fact that of their migration presumption goes mode excessively far, and ought to offend each Halo fan, careless of governmental orientation,” Griesemer said. “I personally find it despicable. The Flood are evil abstraction zombie parasites and are not an allegory to immoderate radical of people.”

He continued: “I deliberation Halo’s satellite is affluent and wide and has layers that reward a deeper look, and it has had an outsized interaction connected culture, truthful it is casual to work into it and spot elements of existent oregon humanities events.

“But it was NOT written arsenic an allegory to immoderate circumstantial religion oregon governmental enactment oregon movement. The Prophets are not Popes, the Grunts are not Wahhabis, and the Flood are decidedly not amerciable immigrants. The Master Chief is not a Christ fig and Cortana is not the Virgin Mary, I guess?”

As for the Trump meme, the White House is claiming it is astir Trump claiming recognition for ending different warfare (in this case, the console war). White House Deputy Press Secretary Kush Desai told newsman Alyssa Mercante successful a statement: “Yet different warfare ended nether President Trump's ticker — lone 1 person is afloat committed to giving powerfulness to the players, and that person is Donald J. Trump. That’s wherefore he’s hugely fashionable with the American radical and American Gamers.”

Microsoft’s soundlessness connected the substance is successful opposition to The Pokémon Company’s position. It formally responded to the usage of Pokémon TV leader Ash Ketchum and the series' taxable tune by the Department of Homeland Security arsenic portion of a video showing radical being arrested and handcuffed by instrumentality enforcement agents.

"We are alert of a caller video posted by the Department of Homeland Security that includes imagery and connection associated with our brand," The Pokémon Company International said successful a connection shared with IGN. "Our institution was not progressive successful the instauration oregon organisation of this content, and support was not granted for the usage of our intelligence property."

The Trump Master Chief AI representation was astir the extremity of the console war, the White House has said. Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images.

The question is, tin Microsoft bash thing astir the Trump medication utilizing Halo for promotion? Many fans had suggested The Pokémon Company should support its intelligence spot by launching ineligible action. But the corporation's erstwhile ineligible main told IGN astatine the clip that helium "wouldn't interaction this."

"I don't spot them doing thing astir this for a fewer reasons," McGowan, present main astatine Extreme Grownup Services, told IGN. "First, deliberation of however small you spot [The Pokémon Company International]'s sanction successful the press. They are INSANELY publicity-shy and similar to fto the marque beryllium the brand.

"Second, galore of their execs successful the USA are connected greenish cards," helium continued. "Even if I was inactive astatine the institution I wouldn't interaction this, and I'm the astir trigger-happy CLO [Chief Legal Officer] I've ever met. This volition stroke implicit successful a mates of days and they'll beryllium blessed to fto it."

The Trump medication has signifier erstwhile it comes to utilizing AI images to beforehand the President. In May, Trump sparked a backlash from immoderate Catholics aft posting an AI-generated representation of himself arsenic the Pope. The picture, which was shared by authoritative White House societal media accounts, was released arsenic Catholics mourned the decease of Pope Francis and prepared to take the adjacent pontiff.

The White House has besides released AI images of Trump arsenic Superman and arsenic a Star Wars Jedi. And erstwhile the Department of Homeland Security utilized South Park to beforehand ICE, South Park trolled Trump successful response, saying: “wait, truthful we ARE relevant?”

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].