God of War Raf Grassetti Sony Santa Monica Studio 1
Image: Push Square

Santa Monica Studio’s influential art director for the past decade, the uber-talented Raf Grasetti, is sealing away his Paintbrushes of Chaos and waving a fond farewell to Sony. The incredibly capable artist, who contributed profoundly to God of War’s revival and its recent sequel Ragnarok, described the moment as “bittersweet” but said he was “overwhelmed with gratitude for the countless opportunities I’ve been fortunate to have”.

“Sony has been my second home, and I'm immensely grateful to be involved so deeply with God of War,” he wrote on social media. “The skills I've learned, and the deep connections I've formed with incredible people will stay with me forever.” He went on to share special thanks with select colleagues, including Santa Monica Studio boss Yumi Yang, God of War directors Cory Barlog and Eric Williams, and PS Studios bigwig Scott Rohde.

“Sony has played an integral role in shaping my career, and I will forever hold dear the memories and experiences,” he continued. “I am extremely confident in the studio's continued success, and I hope we can create together again in the future. I will share more news on what's next for me next week.”

Grassetti’s personal work went viral a couple of years ago when he drew the cast of Super Smash Bros Ultimate in his own personal style. These concepts would go on to attract tens of thousands of likes on Twitter, and certainly offered a different dimension to some of Nintendo’s most famous mascot characters.

[source twitter.com]