Halo fans are in for a treat as the creative talents behind the series are coming to SacAnime Summer 2026. Fans will have the chance to meet Steve Downes, Jen Taylor, Martin O’Donnell, and Jeff Steitzer.

The People Who Made Halo Iconic

Steve Downes is a voice actor who is best known for his role as John-117 (better known as Master Chief). He has voiced the iconic character since Halo: Combat Evolved and has appeared as the character in every entry of the series. He has also voiced the character in spin-off titles and crossovers.

Jen Taylor is a voice actress best known for her roles as Cortana in the Halo series and Princess Peach in the Super Mario series. She has voiced Cortana in every title since Halo: Combat Evolved, along with crossover titles and spin-offs. She also plays Cortana in the Paramount+ series Halo. From 1999 to 2007, she was the voice of Princess Peach across every Mario and Nintendo title. Her other iconic roles include Zoey in the Left 4 Dead series.

Martin O’Donnell is a composer and audio director best known for composing the soundtrack to the Halo series. He was responsible for the series’ music starting with Halo: Combat Evolved and continuing through Halo: Reach. His work has earned him several prestigious industry awards, including a Game Developers Choice Award, a Spike Video Game Award for Best Original Score, and two D.I.C.E. Awards for his work on Destiny. Beyond the Halo series, he has also composed for Destiny and the Myth series.

Jeff Steitzer is a voice actor who is best known as the Multiplayer Announcer in the Halo series. Described as the “Voice of my Childhood”, he has been the franchise’s multiplayer announcer since Halo: Combat Evolved.

Planning for SacAnime Summer 2026

They will be joining a number of high profile guests such as voice acting icon Johnny Yong Bosch, Zach Aguilar and Abby Trott from Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba, Jad Saxton from Fire Force, Ming-Na Wen from Mulan and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Daniel Marin from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (2022), Brittney Karbowski from Fairy Tail, along with Alix Wilton Regan from Dragon Age: Inquisition just to name a few. Additional guests, along with attendance days and session times, will be announced in the future.

The weekend will also include musical shows, a maid cafe, cosplay gatherings, industry along with fan panels, and special shows. Details about the activities and gatherings will also be announced in the months leading up to the convention. Tickets for SacAnime Summer 2026 are now on sale, starting at $50 for the weekend.

SacAnime Summer 2026 runs from September 4th to September 6th, 2026, at the SAFE Credit Union Convention Center, located on 1401 K St., Sacramento, CA 95814. The convention is one of the largest anime events in Northern California, drawing attendees from the surrounding region along with the Bay Area and Reno-Sparks area. It features a series of panels plus cosplay gatherings, musical performances, and more.

8Bit/Digi is an independent media outlet that provides insight into the gamer and cosplayer community of the San Francisco Bay Area and Northern California.

Update: Martin O’Donnell has been disinvited from SacAnime Summer 2026. This has been confirmed by him via social media and SacAnime having scrubbed all references of him from their social media account.