Arkane’s co-founder, Raphael Colantonio, has announced his departure from the company after a solid eighteen years of service.
He announced his exit via a post on Bethesda’s website in a letter that’s both heartfelt and bittersweet, as his departure comes at a time when Arkane has become one of gaming’s more consistently great developers. And that is, obviously, thanks in large part to his vision and direction.
“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,” Colantonio wrote in his letter to the Arkane faithful.
Colantonio’s partner in crime Harvey Smith is set to oversee the Austin-based team, while Colantonio has declared he’ll be helping make his exit an easy transition as he’ll oversee the management team finding his replacement in Lyon, France.
“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,” Colantonio’s letter concluded.
We recently got to speak with Raphael during his Prey press tour and we’d like to, as a team, thank him for being generous with his time and wish him all the best in his future endeavours, whatever they may be.
