Brian Raffel, co-founder of Raven Software alongside his brother Steve in 1990, is retiring after an impressive 36-year career in game development. Raffel has been a driving force at Raven, serving as Vice President since the studio’s founding and as Studio Head from 1997 onward. In 2024, he began sharing leadership duties with Dave Pellas, who joined Raven in 2011. Raffel also held the role of Vice President at Activision following Raven’s acquisition in 1997.
For gamers, Raffel’s departure marks a major turning point. Raven Software played a pivotal role in shaping the FPS genre, starting with classics like Heretic and HeXen, then breaking new ground with the gritty Soldier of Fortune series. The studio’s reputation soared with the beloved Jedi Knight sequels-Jedi Outcast and Jedi Academy-still celebrated for their innovative lightsaber combat and tight gameplay. Later, Raven delivered the 2009 Wolfenstein reboot and the cult favorite Singularity, a time-twisting shooter that deserved more attention.
In recent years, Raven shifted focus almost exclusively to Call of Duty. The studio led design on Call of Duty: Warzone and contributed to campaigns for Black Ops: Cold War, Black Ops 6, and Black Ops 7. While the first two Black Ops campaigns were well received, Black Ops 7 was a mess, prompting Activision to reconsider its annual release strategy for the series.
Raffel’s steady leadership kept Raven relevant for over three decades-a rare achievement in an industry where studios often fade away. John Romero, co-creator of Doom and longtime Raven collaborator, praised Raffel: “Brian did a great job steering the company through those turbulent early days, transitioning from an Amiga-only studio to a PC studio that made great games. Their acquisition by Activision worked out well for Brian and Steve, and I was happy for them. It’s a rare team that can survive from 1990 to today-36 years! I definitely give credit to Brian for making that happen.”
What’s next for Raven Software?
With Raffel stepping down, Dave Pellas takes the helm as the main studio head. Raven’s upcoming projects remain under wraps, but the studio is expected to maintain its strong involvement with Call of Duty. Whether Raven will revisit original IPs like Singularity or HeXen remains speculation, though fans still hope for a surprise comeback.
The bottom line
- Brian Raffel retires after shaping FPS classics and leading Raven Software for 36 years.
- Raven remains a core Call of Duty studio under Dave Pellas, but its legacy runs far deeper than just Warzone.