Brian Raffel is calling time after 36 years
Raven Software has announced that co-founder Brian Raffel is retiring after 36 years with the studio. The news arrived in a post on the company’s official X account, which feels about right for 2026, apparently: major career milestones now come packaged as social media updates.
Raffel and his brother founded Raven Software in 1990. Their first game, Black Crypt, arrived in 1992, and the studio eventually grew into one of the better-known names in game development. Over the years, Raven says it has shipped 42 titles, created 12 original IPs, and contributed to 18 Call of Duty games.
The games that built Raven’s name
Before becoming deeply tied to Call of Duty, Raffel was known for work on projects such as:
- Hexen
- Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
- X-Men Legends
- Wolfenstein
That earlier run helped establish Raven as a studio able to move across genres without looking lost, which is more than some teams manage after a single successful series.
A decade-plus with Call of Duty
Raven’s involvement with Call of Duty stretches back more than a decade. The studio first worked on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 in 2011 for the PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii.
Since then, Raven has also contributed to Warzone and, most recently, assisted with Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, which released in 2025.
The studio’s role in the franchise has made it a major part of the series’ evolution, particularly for players who have followed the long road from the early modern warfare entries to the current era.
Other Raven notes
The studio has also been active around Call of Duty: Black Ops Royale, with Raven indicating it is responsive to adding more ways to play. Treyarch, meanwhile, introduced a new playlist called "GRWM", short for "Get Ready With Me." Because no live service game is complete without a little acronym homework.
