God of War and Ragnarok art director leaves Sony Santa Monica after 11 years

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Raf Grassetti was one of the best-known members of the God of War team

God of War Ragnarok
(Image credit: Sony Santa Monica)

Raf Grassetti, the art director who led the visual design for 2018's God of War and its sequel God of War: Ragnarok, is leaving Sony Santa Monica after over a decade with the studio. 

Grassetti announced his departure today, May 19, seemingly confirming that it's not only his last day at the house of God of War, but at Sony in general. "It's bittersweet, but above all, I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the countless opportunities I've been fortunate to have," he wrote on Twitter. "Sony has been my second home, and I'm immensely grateful to be involved so deeply with God of War. The skills I've learned, and the deep connections I've formed with incredible people will stay with me forever."

Grassetti thanked directors Cory Barlog and Eric Williams for their support, as well as internal heads like production lead Scott Rohde. Barlog and Williams were arguably the most visible and public-facing members of God of War's development team, regularly fielding development diaries and press interviews, but Grassetti was also a familiar face among fans, quickly becoming known for the personal projects and many God of War art timelapses he'd post to social media. 

The art director was an especially big proponent of the design for Ragnarok's Thor, who was an early favorite among many God of War players. 

"I am extremely confident in the studio's continued success, and I hope we can create together again in the future," Grassetti said of Sony Santa Monica, concluding with a tease that, "I will share more news on what's next for me next week." It sounds like he'll land in another senior art position within game development, but that's no guarantee. 

Ragnarok is still going strong, dropping a new game plus update with a bunch of new gear last month. 

Austin Wood
Austin Wood
Senior writer

Austin has been a game journalist for 12 years, having freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree. He's been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize his position is a cover for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a lot of news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible.