After 36 years at the company, Raven Software’s co-founder has announced his retirement.
Raven Software is one of the largest development studios today, known for providing players with a variety of original IP titles and for its highly regarded contributions to the Call of Duty series since 2011. After years of leading the studio across various games across different genres, the co-founder is now finally stepping down.
Raven Software Co-Founder Retires
A new post on the official Raven Software X account (formerly Twitter) announces co-founder Brian Raffel’s retirement. Raffel, along with his brother, founded the studio in 1990, with Black Crypt as their first game, released in 1992. The world opened up for the studio after that, with the studio shipping 42 titles, creating 12 original IPs, and working on 18 Call of Duty games. Brian Raffel was known for his work on early games like Hexen, Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy, X-Men Legends, Wolfenstein, and more.
Raven Software has been involved with the Call of Duty franchise for over a decade, starting with their work on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 in 2011 for the PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii. They also contributed to the development of the battle royale game, Warzone, and most recently, they assisted in creating Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, released in 2025. Raven Software has made a significant impact on fans and has helped shape the Call of Duty universe into what it is today.
In other news, Raven Software is responsive to adding more ways to play Call of Duty: Black Ops Royale. Additionally, Treyarch introduced a new playlist to the game called “GRWM,” which stands for “Get Ready With Me.” What are your thoughts on Raven Software’s co-founder retiring? Leave your thoughts down in the comments, and join the official Insider Gaming Discord server.
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That’s worrisome. These guys keep the studios in check when they leave it’s turmoil. Prepare for Insomniac and SuckerPunch to burn as well.