Last year, God of War Art Director Raf Grassetti announced he was leaving Santa Monica Studio to join Netflix. Now, around a year and a half later, the artist is coming back to Sony, but with a different lauded studio.
God of War Art Director now with Sony’s Naughty Dog
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Grassetti simply writes “new chapter” along with a picture of the Naughty Dog logo. It looks like they’ll be lending their talents to help shape whatever The Last of Us creators are making.
Grassetti’s first run with Sony Interactive Entertainment began in 2012 working as an Art Supervisor on Killzone: Shadow Fall, Infamous: Second Son, and The Order: 1886. He then moved to Santa Monica Studio in 2013. Beginning as a Principal Artist, he eventually became the Studio Art Director. He has worked on both God of War (2018) and God of War Ragnarok.
In May 2023, he announced his departure from Sony. Very soon after, he announced he had moved to Netflix to help develop a new AAA game.
“It’s bittersweet, but above all, I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the countless opportunities I’ve been fortunate to have,” said Grassetti when he first left Sony.
“I’m happy to announce that I’ve joined Netflix to develop a new original IP AAA game,” said Grassetti when he joined the streaming giant. “I’m really excited to build a team and to work with the amazing Joseph Staten, Jerry Edsall and Chacko Sonny to bring a new world to life.”
While it seems the team at Netflix had big aspirations at the time, an original AAA game has yet to be made from the company.
Naughty Dog has been tight lipped about their next project. However, there are some tidbits that have come out pretty recently. One of the newest rumors suggests the studio’s next game will focus on player freedom. Additionally, it is known that the game has been in development since 2020, and that studio head Neil Druckmann will have full creative control. Most recently, it was revealed Indiana Jones and the Great Circle voice actor Troy Baker will work with the studio once again.