Key Takeaways
- Former God of War art director Raf Grassetti is moving to Naughty Dog from Netflix’s Team Blue after the studio’s closure.
- Grassetti’s impressive portfolio could be utilized for Naughty Dog’s rumored new IP.
- God of War developer Santa Monica Studio is reportedly developing a new IP too, hinting at exciting times for PlayStation gamers.
Raf Grassetti, former character artist and Art Director on the God of War franchise, has announced that he will move to Naughty Dog after a year-long stint at Netflix’s Team Blue studio. Following Team Blue’s recent closure, Grassetti has found a new home at Naughty Dog, another major Sony studio responsible for some of PlayStation’s biggest franchises including The Last of Us and Uncharted.
Earlier this year, Netflix announced the closure of Team Blue, its ambitious AAA gaming studio. Comprised of industry veterans, including former Overwatch executive producer Chacko Sonny and Halo creative director Joseph Staten, Team Blue was founded in 2022 as the streaming service’s first major attempt to break into the world of AAA gaming. The disbandment of the studio after only two years seems to have put Netflix’s development of in-house titles on hold, causing these big-name developers to seek out new studios.
Related
Rumor: Codename for Next Naughty Dog Game Possibly Leaked
Yet another rumor surrounding Naughty Dog’s next game crops up, this time alleging the highly-anticipated project’s internal codename.
Raf Grassetti is among the developers leaving Netflix following Team Blue’s closure. Posting on Twitter, the former Santa Monica Studio artist shared the news that he will soon be moving to Naughty Dog. PlayStation gamers will be familiar with Naughty Dog as the creators of some of Sony’s most instantly recognizable franchises from the last three decades, including Crash Bandicoot, Jak and Daxter, Uncharted, and The Last of Us. Although Grassetti has not revealed his official position at the studio, he could well be involved in Naughty Dog’s rumored new IP.
God of War Art Director Moving to Naughty Dog
Whatever his role at Naughty Dog, Raf Grassetti undoubtedly brings an impressive portfolio to the table. First joining Sony’s Santa Monica Studio in 2013 as a lead character artist on 2018’s God of War, Grassetti then acted as Principal Artist and lead Art Director on its sequel, God of War Ragnarok, before moving to Netflix in 2023. Before his work on the God of War franchise, Grassetti worked on several high-profile titles including BioWare’s Mass Effect 3 and Guerrilla Games’ Killzone: Shadow Fall. Grassetti has also enjoyed a successful artistic career outside of gaming, working on a number of Marvel, DC, Image, and Boom! Studios comics.
While Grassetti is moving on to a “new chapter” in his career, his former studio is also moving on to new horizons, as Santa Monica Studio is reportedly working on its first new IP in 20 years. After focusing on the incredibly successful God of War franchise for two decades, the LA-based studio is now working on a “next-generation narrative combat game” seemingly for the PlayStation 6. Combined with Naughty Dog’s upcoming projects, PlayStation gamers certainly have a lot to look forward to in the next few years.
Naughty Dog
- Date Founded
- September 9, 1989
- Headquarters
- Santa Monica, California, United States
- CEO
- Neil Druckmann
- Parent Company
- Sony Interactive Entertainment , PlayStation Studios