God of War Ragnarok Art Dir. Joins Naughty Dog to Work on Neil Druckmann’s New Game

Rafael “Raf” Grassetti, a highly respected and accomplished artist in the video game industry, is known for his pivotal role as art director and character designer on God of War (2018) and God of War Ragnarok (2022). Grassetti has just announced that he has joined Naughty Dog, the studio behind Uncharted and The Last of Us.

Raf Grassetti’s New Adventure with Naughty Dog

Grassetti shared the news on his social media accounts, posting a brief message on Instagram:

“I’m super excited to be joining the amazing crew and project over at @naughty_dog_inc, and to be back to Playstation ! I’m joining @druckmann and his team as Art Director, to help create the next big thing! A huge thanks to everybody who was involved on making this happen and all my friends from sister studios I’m hyped and can’t wait to share more about it! Cheers!”

Grassetti’s return to a PlayStation studio comes after his departure from Santa Monica Studio in 2023, where he contributed significantly to God of War and its sequel. He later joined Netflix to work on a new, original AAA licensed project, which has not yet been officially announced. Details about this Netflix project remain scarce, and it is unclear whether he is still involved.

Grassetti’s Collaboration with Neil Druckmann

By joining Naughty Dog, Grassetti will work alongside Neil Druckmann, the director and writer of The Last of Us Part II, on an upcoming game. While specifics about the project are still under wraps, the studio has revealed little details so far. Recently, it was also confirmed that Troy Baker, the actor who portrayed Joel in The Last of Us, will have a role in the new game.

In October, rumors began circulating that Naughty Dog’s new title will focus on providing players with greater freedom in gameplay, though this remains unconfirmed. For now, fans will need to be patient as the studio prepares to unveil this highly anticipated project. Notably, this marks the first time in this console generation that the acclaimed studio has yet to reveal a new game.