God of War Ragnarok Studio Loses High-Profile Director

Santa Monica Studio, the developer behind God of War and God of War Ragnarok, has now lost one of its most high-profile members in art director Raf Grassetti. As PlayStation's God of War series has started to rise in prominence in recent years, various developers at Santa Monica Studio have started to become more well-known among fans. God of War director Cory Barlog is perhaps the most noteworthy face that has become attached to the studio, but a number of other PlayStation fans are likely familiar with Grassetti and his work. Now, Grassetti has revealed that he's looking to continue his career elsewhere. 

To end this week, Grassetti announced that he would be departing Santa Monica Studio and Sony for a new venture. Grassetti spent over ten years with Santa Monica Studio and shared his own gratitude for those who assisted him during his time at Santa Monica Studio. Currently, Grassetti hasn't revealed where he'll be going next, but he told fans that he'll have more news to share on this front soon enough. 

"Today is my last day at Sony after over a decade of being a part of this incredible journey," Grassetti shared on social media. "It's bittersweet, but above all, I am 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. The skills I've learned, and the deep connections I've formed with incredible people will stay with me forever. [...] 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."

All in all, this is a pretty big loss for Santa Monica Studio as Grassetti played a big part in shaping the visual style seen in both God of War and God of War Ragnarok. That being said, Grasetti has expressed optimism for the future of Santa Monica Studio, which means the PlayStation developer will surely continue to thrive moving forward. Although we don't yet know where the former God of War art director will go now, we'll be sure to keep you in the loop here on ComicBook.com once we learn more. 

How do you feel about Grasetti stepping away from Santa Monica Studio for another gig? And where do you think he might end up at next? Share your own best guess with me either down in the comments or message me on Twitter at @MooreMan12