God Of War Ragnarok Art Director Has Left Sony After A Decade

Raf Grassetti, the art director of the most recent God of War title, has revealed he is leaving Sony. The artist announced his departure from the company after 10 years in a heartfelt Twitter post, thanking everyone at Santa Monica Studio. He called Sony his 2nd home and gave special thanks to God of War Ragnarok directors Cory Barlog and Eric Williams.

Grassetti worked as the principal artist on 2018’s God of War after joining Santa Monica in November 2013. His title got upgraded to Art Director for the sequel, God of War Ragnarok, and he got another promotion afterward. Raf Grassetti became the studio art director in Santa Monica and has been in this role since November. But, he is leaving this role now and leaving Sony after working for the company for over a decade.

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In his Twitter thread, Grassetti also expressed his gratitude to the God of War franchise for honing his skills. The video game artist called his exit “bittersweet” due to the friendships he had developed there. Before moving to Santa Monica, Grassetti was an art supervisor on some AAA Sony titles like Killzone and The Order 1886. Hence, he also singled out Sony for helping shape his career and said he is confident in its future success.

In the long thread, however, the principal artist did not reveal where he will be heading next. Before Sony, Grassetti worked on several major franchises as a Senior Character Artist. He worked at Bioware for a year on IPs like Mass Effect 3 and Dragon Age 3. Prior to this, he also helped developers like Ubisoft and CD Projekt Red with Assassins Creed and The Witcher as a freelance artist among other studios.

Therefore, someone as talented as Raf Grassetti will certainly have many options, especially after working on a hit like God of War Ragnarok. Santa Monica’s 2022 title smashed Sony’s expectations and reached its first-week sales target with ease. It dominated charts worldwide, getting the No.1 place in South Korea and Taiwan. As of February 2023, it has sold a staggering 11 million copies worldwide, becoming a mega-hit for Sony.

God of War Ragnarok also got universal acclaim from critics and fans alike. Its story, combat, gameplay, and music received heaps of praise in addition to its innovation in accessibility. The adventure game received dozens of nominations for Game of the Year, winning several of them. Santa Monica Studios’ title also holds the record for the most nominations at the BAFTA Game Awards, earning 15 nods.

With a New Game+ mode and a PS Plus Premium trial, God of War Ragnarok is better than ever. You can play Raf Grassetti’s last game at Santa Monica right now on PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4.