Former God of War Art Director Joins Naughty Dog

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Key Takeaways

  • Former God of War art director Raf Grassetti is moving to Naughty Dog from Netflix’s Team Blue after the studio’s closure.
  • Grassetti’s impressive portfolio could be utilized for Naughty Dog’s rumored new IP.
  • God of War developer Santa Monica Studio is reportedly developing a new IP too, hinting at exciting times for PlayStation gamers.

As a long-time fan of AAA gaming, I can’t help but feel thrilled by the recent news about Raf Grassetti joining Naughty Dog. Grassetti, a seasoned artist who has left his mark on franchises like God of War and Mass Effect, is now set to bring his talents to the creators of The Last of Us and Uncharted. It’s like watching a master painter transition from one grand canvas to another, each with its own unique beauty and depth.

Raf Grassetti, previously a character artist and Art Director on the God of War series, has revealed that he will be joining Naughty Dog after spending a year at Netflix’s Team Blue studio. With Team Blue having recently closed down, Grassetti has now shifted to Naughty Dog, another significant Sony studio that is known for creating some of PlayStation’s most popular franchises such as The Last of Us and Uncharted.

Previously this year, it was revealed that Netflix would be shutting down Team Blue, their groundbreaking AAA gaming team. Made up of experienced professionals from the industry, such as Chacko Sonny, former executive producer of Overwatch, and Joseph Staten, previous creative director of Halo, Team Blue was established in 2022 as Netflix’s initial endeavor to enter the market for AAA games. However, the closure of the studio after just two years has appeared to halt Netflix’s progress on internal game development, leading these notable developers to look for new opportunities elsewhere.

Raf Grassetti is one of the developers departing from Netflix after Team Blue’s shutdown. On Twitter, the previous artist from Santa Monica Studio announced that he will soon join Naughty Dog. Gamers who play on PlayStation may recognize Naughty Dog as the creators of iconic franchises like Crash Bandicoot, Jak and Daxter, Uncharted, and The Last of Us over the last three decades. While Grassetti hasn’t specified his role at the studio yet, he might be contributing to the anticipated new intellectual property that Naughty Dog is rumored to be developing.

God of War Art Director Moving to Naughty Dog

Raf Grassetti, who joined Sony’s Santa Monica Studio in 2013 as a lead character artist for the 2018 release of God of War, has an impressive collection of work under his belt. Following this, he served as Principal Artist and lead Art Director on the sequel, God of War Ragnarok, before transitioning to Netflix in 2023. Prior to his tenure with the God of War series, Grassetti contributed to various notable titles such as BioWare’s Mass Effect 3 and Guerrilla Games’ Killzone: Shadow Fall. Additionally, Grassetti has had a thriving career in art outside of gaming, producing several Marvel, DC, Image, and Boom! Studios comic books.

As Grassetti embarks on a fresh stage in his professional journey, his previous workplace, Santa Monica Studio, is likewise venturing into uncharted territories. It’s rumored that they are developing their initial new IP in two decades. For twenty years, this LA-based studio has been dedicated to the highly successful God of War series. Now, they seem to be working on a “next-generation narrative combat game” potentially for the PlayStation 6. With Naughty Dog’s upcoming ventures, PlayStation players have an exciting lineup to anticipate in the coming years.

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2024-12-10 02:14