SacAnime has shared a promotional video telling fans that legendary Halo composer Marty O’Donnell will attend its upcoming convention—more than a week after organizers canceled his appearance.
In the video, which remains on SacAnime’s official X account at the time of this writing, Steve Downes, who has voiced Master Chief since 2001, says the event will be “a bit of a Halo reunion.” However, fans aware of O’Donnell’s cancellation were quick to point out the error. Their criticism was not directed at Downes, who likely recorded the promotional piece weeks ago, but at the convention itself.
We have a special message from Steve Downes! pic.twitter.com/Xm2FtPgXLg
— SacAnime (@SacAnime) August 18, 2026
Some users accused SacAnime of deliberately misleading potential attendees. Others questioned whether the organizers even know who will—or will not—appear at their own event.
Why SacAnime Canceled Marty O’Donnell
O’Donnell announced on August 11 that SacAnime had disinvited him from its Halo 25th anniversary reunion.
“The promoter for SacAnime has shared that his LGBTQ staff does not feel comfortable if you attend the event,” a message sent to O’Donnell’s representative explained. “Based on your recently reported statements of the political campaign, they have to rescinded [sic] their invitation to not cause any further staff upset.”
I’m very disappointed that SacAnime has disinvited me from a Halo 25 reunion at their conference next month. If you thought we defeated Cancel Culture in 2024, guess again! pic.twitter.com/DSEWcIEjDA
— Marty O’Donnell (@MartyTheElder) August 11, 2026
O’Donnell is currently the Republican nominee for Nevada’s 3rd Congressional District and has received President Donald Trump’s endorsement.
Marty O’Donnell speaks on a stream – YouTube, The Act Man
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The controversy followed an online accusation that O’Donnell had called for LGBTQ+ people to be persecuted and described them as an “existential threat.” However, his actual comments identified Marxism and anti-Western philosophy—not LGBTQ+ people—as the threat he was discussing. He never called for anyone to be persecuted.
SacAnime nevertheless removed O’Donnell from its website and reportedly deleted social media posts promoting his appearance.
SacAnime Promotes the Guest It Canceled
The newly posted video suggests that SacAnime either failed to review its scheduled promotional material or forgot that O’Donnell had been removed from the reunion.
The mistake is particularly embarrassing because O’Donnell previously said organizers had asked him to record his own promotional video only two weeks before canceling his appearance. Jen Taylor, the longtime voice of Cortana, had also publicly celebrated his planned participation.
A screenshot from Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary (2020), 343 Industries
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O’Donnell is not a peripheral figure in Halo history. Alongside Michael Salvatori, he composed the music that helped establish the identity of the original games. Additionally, O’Donnell was largely responsible for selecting the games’ voice cast.
When Downes mentioned O’Donnell in his promotional video, he referred to him as “the OG from the Bungie days, and the man partly responsible for all of it.”
Excluding him from a reunion celebrating the franchise’s 25th anniversary already required overlooking one of its most influential creators. The video posted on SacAnime’s social media account only draws more attention to that fact.
An Embarrassing Reminder for SacAnime
Continuing to use O’Donnell’s name to promote the event makes the decision appear even more incoherent. SacAnime apparently considers him too controversial to appear before its staff and attendees, but not too controversial to help attract those attendees through its advertising.
Marty O’Donnell in an interview – YouTube, Hard Knocks Labs
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Whether the video was published accidentally or scheduled before his removal, it provides an awkward reminder of the guest SacAnime invited, promoted, and then canceled over political comments he did not make.
Why do you think SacAnime posted the promotional video? Sound off and let us know!
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