Raphael Colantonio, the co-creative director at developer Arkane, has announced he will be leaving the company. Before you think that this spells the end for the studio and nothing is sacred, it seems Colantino is leaving to spend more time with his family.
In a message on the official Bethesda website, Colantonio recapped his time with Arkane, going all the way back to the studio’s founding in 1999. Colantonio also thanked fans for all of the passion and support given to him and the rest of the Arkane developers since the release of the studio’s first game, Arx Fatalis.
“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,” he said in the post.
“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,” Colantonio said. “ZenIMax enabled us to make the best games that we’ve ever made. And I know there is even more to come.”
Even without Colantonio, it sounds like things are looking good for the future of Arkane. “ZeniMax strongly believes in Arkane’s ability to make great games, and is committed to supporting the studio,” he said. “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.”
Harvey Smith is the other co-creative director at Arkane. An industry veteran, Smith has held key roles in the development of such games as System Shock and the original Deus Ex, as well as the role of co-creative director for Dishonored and Dishonored 2.
Us here at Player.One extend our well-wishes to Colantonio with whatever he does next.
So what do you think? Are you sad to see a major player in Dishonored and Prey is leaving the team? What do you think this means for the future of Arkane? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
