In a surprising announcement today, the President of Arkane Studios (Dishonored 2, Prey) Raphael Colantonio told the world that he will step down from his role atop the popular game development studio.
The announcement stated that Colantonio will be using this opportunity to “spend some time with my son and reflect on what is important to me and my future.” Harvey Smith, the creative director on Dishonored 2, will take over duties at Arkane Studios Austin, where Colantonio directed Prey.
There is no indication from any source that this is related to sales or performance of any of Arkane Studios recent titles, as both Dishonored 2 and Prey were critical hits, with Prey topping the UK Charts in its second week of release, so this is likely a personal decision, as Colantonio implies.
After founding Arkane Studios, Colantonio soon brought on Smith to serve as co-creative director on Dishonored. After Dishonored‘s success, Arkane Studios created a subsidiary in Austin, and the two studios simultaneously developed Prey and Dishonored 2, with Smith directing Dishonored 2 and Colantonio directing Prey.
Meanwhile, the Dishonored series will continue with Dishonored: Death of the Outsider, the series’ first standalone expansion to the universe that takes place after the events of Dishonored 2. Bethesda has confirmed that Robin Lord Taylor will return to voice the Outsider, and the game is due for release on Sept. 15, 2017 on PS4, Xbox One and PC. It’s unclear if this will have any effect on the future of Prey.
