Call of Duty Studio Head Brian Raffel Retires After 36-Year Career
Brian Raffel, co-founder and head of Raven Software, has announced his retirement after a 36-year career in the gaming industry. Raven Software is one of the most prolific studios contributing to the Call of Duty franchise, with its new titles developed by multiple studios in rotation. The studio officially announced his departure earlier today, marking the end of an era for one of the key developers behind the long-running first-person shooter series.
Raffel co-founded Raven Software with his brother Steve in 1990, starting with small creative projects like Black Crypt before growing into an industry-recognized studio. Under his 36-year leadership, the studio released or contributed to 42 games. In a statement, Raven Software praised Raffel for nurturing numerous game projects and caring deeply about the people around him, stating his work and leadership left an enduring legacy for both himself and the studio.
Before becoming involved with Call of Duty development, Raffel led the creation of 12 original games. These included Heretic and Hexen, fantasy shooters built on id Software’s legendary FPS engine in the style of Doom, the ultra-violent 2000 shooter Soldier of Fortune, and the Star Wars: Jedi Knight series. These titles established Raven Software’s reputation in the first-person shooter genre long before their Call of Duty contributions began.
During his tenure, Raven Software participated in developing 18 Call of Duty games, including Call of Duty: Ghosts, multiple Black Ops and Modern Warfare series entries, the popular battle royale game Call of Duty: Warzone, and the recently released Call of Duty: Black Ops 7. Following Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard in late 2023, Raven Software became part of Xbox Game Studios, with many of its titles available on Xbox Game Pass. While fans may lament his departure, Raffel’s retirement is well-deserved after such a distinguished career shaping one of gaming’s most successful franchises.
