Arkane Studios creative director Raf Colantonio announced that he would be leaving Arkane Studios in order to spend time with family and reflect on the future, according to a news update on Bethesda’s official website.
This is what he had to say, which can also be found here:
“The last 18 years have been an amazing adventure – from starting Arkane in 1999, to making our first game, Arx Fatalis, to joining ZeniMax Media in 2010 and releasing the Dishonored series and Prey to critical acclaim – it is time for me to step out to spend some time with my son and reflect on what is important to me and my future.
I’ve had the opportunity to work with some of the best and brightest people in the industry, and I feel extremely lucky to have been part of this journey with everyone at Arkane.
I’ve lived many magical moments. I’ve also been through the hard times. But, I can say that joining ZeniMax took things to the next level and gave Arkane the opportunity to emerge as a world-class studio. ZeniMax enabled us to make the best games that we’ve ever made. And I know there is even more to come.
ZeniMax strongly believes in Arkane’s ability to make great games, and is committed to supporting the studio. My long-time friend and colleague, Harvey Smith, will oversee the team in Austin and I will be around for as long as necessary to ensure a smooth transition to the new management team in Lyon.
I wish the best to everyone at Arkane, Bethesda, and ZeniMax. Without a doubt I will miss everyone.
As I close, I’d like to thank the Arkane fans for their passion and support. I proudly join them as Arkane Studios’ biggest champion, and I look forward to playing the extraordinary new games the studio is working on.
-Raf Colantonio”
Recently, Arkane Studios has released Dishonored 2 and Prey, and recently announced Dishonored 2 DLC named Dishonored 2: Death of the Outsider at E3.
Dishonored 2 has sold relatively well, selling 1.47 million units on PlayStation 4, around 650,000 units on Xbox One and around 230,000 units on PC according to VGChartz.
Dishonored 2 also scored well on Metacritic, receiving a score of an 88 on PlayStation 4, a score of an 88 on Xbox One, and a score of 86 on PC. One review from Telegraph gave the game an 100, which can be found in full here.
“A grim, gorgeous milieu of societal depth and cunning design,” said Telegraph. “That its mechanics slot so naturally into its environment, giving players the freedom and choice to explore, influence and infiltrate means that Dishonored 2 represents the very best gaming has to offer.”
Prey, which was just released in May, has sold around 240,000 units on PlayStation 4, around 100,000 units on Xbox One, and 10,000 units on PC according to VGChartz.
Prey, along with Dishonored 2 scored pretty favorable reviews from critics, according to Metacritic. On Metacritic, the game received a score of a 79 on Playstation 4, a score of an 84 on Xbox One, and a score of an 81 on PC. One review from IGN Italia gave the game a score of a 91 on PlayStation 4, which can be found in full here.
“Prey means deep space and deep gameplay. A huge space station hides thousands of game mechanics and dynamics ready to be explored by the solitary player,” said IGN Italia. “Its warfare is not infinite nor predestined, but makes up part of a bigger picture, a bigger game, where gameplay means much more than gunplay.”
It’s sad to see one of the leaders of a studio with great games and franchises such as Dishonored and Prey leave. We here at Whizord will continue to support Raf in his future endeavors, whether or not they are involved with gaming.
