Raven Software
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Predecessor | Raven Software, Inc. |
| Founded | May 23, 1990 in Madison, Wisconsin, United States |
| Founder | Brian Raffel, Steve Raffel |
| Headquarters | Middleton, Wisconsin , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Brian Raffel (co-studio head), David Pellas (co-studio head) |
| Products | Heretic/Hexen series, Soldier of Fortune series, Star Wars: Jedi Knight series, Marvel's X-Men games, Singularity, Call of Duty series support |
| Owner | Activision |
Number of employees | 350 (2022) |
| Parent | Activision |
| Website | www |
Raven Software Corporation (commonly known as Raven; previously Raven Software, Inc.) is a United States-based video game development company located in Middleton, Wisconsin. It operates as a subsidiary under Activision. Established in May 1990 by siblings Brian and Steve Raffel, Raven is best known for franchises such as Heretic/Hexen, the initial two Soldier of Fortune installments, and various licensed properties including the Star Wars: Jedi Knight series and Marvel's X-Men, particularly the 2006 release Marvel: Ultimate Alliance. Since 2011, Raven has played both lead and supporting roles in the development of several Call of Duty titles.
The company’s first release, Black Crypt (1992), originated from a tabletop role-playing game concept before being transformed into a digital format. Despite modest commercial success, its technical achievements caught the eye of John Romero, which led to Raven creating ShadowCaster (1993) utilizing a modified version of the Wolfenstein 3D engine, later called the Raven Engine. This accomplishment paved the way for publishing agreements with id Software and Strategic Simulations, facilitating Raven’s expansion to two development teams responsible for 1994’s CyClones and the critically praised Heretic. The latter launched a franchise that enabled the company to grow to three separate teams.
Activision acquired Raven in August 1997 and managed the distribution of Hexen II, while Raven’s internal teams continued developing titles such as Take No Prisoners and MageSlayer. After releasing Heretic II in 1998, Raven extended its portfolio by securing rights to create Soldier of Fortune games and entering licensed IP markets with titles like Star Trek: Voyager – Elite Force. This game earned critical acclaim and initiated collaboration with LucasArts on subsequent Star Wars projects. The partnership with id Software persisted through contributions to games like Quake 4 and the 2009 reboot of Wolfenstein, establishing Raven as an early licensee of id Tech 4.
Throughout the 2000s, Raven developed several Marvel superhero games including X-Men Legends (2004), its sequel, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance (2006), and X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009). In 2010, it launched its original intellectual property titled Singularity, which received favorable reviews. Beginning in 2011, Raven shifted focus toward supporting development on the Call of Duty franchise. In 2014, it inaugurated a Shanghai branch to collaborate with Tencent Games on Call of Duty Online, although this studio is no longer operational. Raven co-developed the 2020 release Call of Duty: Warzone and spearheaded single-player production for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. Additionally, it led development on the forthcoming title Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, scheduled for release on October 24, 2024.
As of 2022, Raven employs roughly 350 staff members. Its business strategy centers on cultivating strategic alliances, developing licensed intellectual properties, and integrating within Activision’s global framework, thereby strengthening its position within the competitive video game sector. Key leadership includes co-studio heads Brian Raffel and David Pellas.
Origins and Development of Black Crypt (1986–1992)
In 1986, Brian Raffel—then an art instructor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and a high school cross country coach—and his brother Steve, who worked at a screen-printing facility, drew inspiration from their late father along with their shared enthusiasm for Dungeons & Dragons modules. By 1988, Brian had devised a concept entitled "The Well," originally designed as a paper-and-pencil role-playing game influenced by D&D, which he and Steve adapted into an original video game project.
Recognizing the capabilities of the Amiga computer platform, Brian transitioned development of "The Well" to this system, renaming it to Black Crypt, coinciding with the formal incorporation of Raven Software on May 23, 1990. Shortly after establishing the company, Brian brought on programmers Rick Johnson and Ben Gokey as well as composer Kevin Schilder. Development commenced in April 1990 with a limited budget of $40,000 from a small office based in Madison, Wisconsin.
Black Crypt was designed as a first-person dungeon crawler featuring tile-based combat mechanics inspired by FTL Games' Dungeon Master. The game included twelve interconnected dungeon levels rendered using Amiga's 64-color Halfbrite mode, enabling sophisticated palette customization that set it apart from other titles at that time. This foundational project laid the groundwork for Raven Software’s entry into game development and contributed to its subsequent growth within the industry.
id Software
Founded in 1990 by siblings Brian and Steve Raffel, Raven Software began as a small trio. Their work caught the attention of John Romero, co-founder of id Software, which led to joint projects utilizing id’s game engines starting with ShadowCaster. Raven produced multiple games built on id’s technology, such as Heretic, Hexen: Beyond Heretic, and Hexen II. They also developed titles like Quake 4 (2005) and Wolfenstein (2009), both part of id Software’s catalog.
Activision
Raven operated independently until Activision acquired the company in 1997 for $12 million. Following this acquisition, Raven broadened its game lineup with releases including Soldier of Fortune (2000), Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy (2003), and X-Men Legends (2004), while continuing collaboration with id Software.
In 2009, due to disappointing results and budget constraints related to Wolfenstein, Raven reduced its workforce by 30 to 35 employees, streamlining its development teams. Additional staff cuts occurred in 2010 in response to delays with Singularity, trimming about 40 positions. After id Software was purchased by ZeniMax Media, Raven redirected its efforts to become a key developer for the Call of Duty series. By mid-2021, the studio's headcount had expanded to roughly 350 employees.
In December 2021, Activision chose not to renew contracts for several QA contractors at Raven, sparking protests and a strike amid wider controversies surrounding Activision Blizzard. On January 21, 2022, Raven’s QA personnel established the Game Workers Alliance union in affiliation with the Communications Workers of America.
By May 2022, an overwhelming majority of Raven’s QA team (19–2) voted in favor of unionization. Subsequently, Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick acknowledged the union and began collective bargaining. Inspired by this milestone, Blizzard Albany’s QA staff initiated their own union campaign in July 2022, successfully forming the second union at an Activision Blizzard subsidiary through a unanimous vote.
On March 8, 2024, approximately 600 QA testers from three Activision studios located in Austin, Eden Prairie, and El Segundo joined forces with existing Raven and Blizzard unions to create "Activision Quality Assurance United-CWA," approving unionization by a vote of 390–8. Following Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard—which includes Raven Software—the company voluntarily recognized this as the largest video game union in the United States.
Heretic/Hexen (1994–1998)
The Heretic series (also referred to as Hexen) is a first-person shooter franchise that integrates elements of action-adventure and role-playing games. The initial release in 1994, Heretic, introduced groundbreaking mechanics such as inventory management and vertical aiming, alongside multiple gib objects that enhanced the realism of character deaths. This title launched the "Serpent Riders" trilogy, which continued with Hexen: Beyond Heretic (1995) and Hexen II (1997). The direct follow-up, Heretic II (1998), set within the dark fantasy realm of Silverspring, combined advanced 3D graphics with an engaging storyline, significantly boosting the series’ appeal through immersive narrative depth.
Soldier of Fortune (2000–2002)
Raven created the military-themed FPS franchise Soldier of Fortune, drawing inspiration from the magazine sharing the same name. The original game released in 2000 featured GHOUL, Raven’s proprietary physics engine that allowed for detailed graphic violence with independently modeled damage zones on characters. The series centers on protagonist John Mullins across both Soldier of Fortune and its sequel, Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix (2002). Subsequent entries outside Raven’s development include Cauldron HQ’s Soldier of Fortune: Payback (2007) and Dragonfly’s South Korean-developed MMOFPS Soldier of Fortune Online (2010), demonstrating the franchise’s extended commercial viability.
Star Wars: Jedi Knight (2002–2003)
Initially created by LucasArts, the Star Wars: Jedi Knight franchise shifted to Raven following a corporate reorganization led by LucasArts president Simon Jeffery. Taking place after the events of Return of the Jedi, these games follow Kyle Katarn, a former Imperial who becomes a Rebel mercenary and Jedi mentor. Raven developed major sequels including Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast (2002) and Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy (2003), thereby enhancing its portfolio with prominent licensed properties. After LucasArts ceased operations in 2013, Raven made the source code for these titles publicly available under the GPL-2.0-only license on SourceForge, demonstrating a commitment to community involvement and preserving the franchise’s legacy.
Call of Duty (2011-present)
Beginning in 2012, Raven started recruiting talent for a new project and was revealed as a partner with Infinity Ward on Call of Duty: Ghosts in May 2013.
By April 2014, Raven had assumed lead development duties for the discontinued free-to-play Chinese release, Call of Duty: Online. The studio also handled development of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered, a revamped version of the original game.
In 2020, Raven once again collaborated with Infinity Ward on Call of Duty: Warzone, taking a key role in ongoing maintenance, updates, and debugging efforts, regularly communicating progress through status reports and patch notes.
Raven co-developed Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War alongside Treyarch, which launched on November 13, 2020, and subsequently partnered with Treyarch on Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, released October 24, 2024.
Development philosophy
Raven is known for organizing multiple project teams simultaneously and employing project leads along with sophisticated development tools to nurture concepts before entering full production. Project director Eric Biessman emphasizes a laid-back environment aimed at encouraging innovation. The company prioritizes team-driven projects, thorough playtesting, emergent storytelling mechanics, and maintains minimal middle-management layers.
Co-founder Brian Raffel encapsulates Raven’s guiding principle as "move or die," highlighting their strategic commitment to exploring varied creative avenues to pinpoint target audiences and markets. Vice-president Steve Raffel oversees the Raven Scout Team (RST), an internal research division focused on analysis, planning, and crafting vertical slice prototypes to advance upcoming projects. This methodology underpins Raven’s ability to stay competitive by swiftly adapting to industry changes and sustaining market relevance.
Accolades and recognition
As part of Activision Blizzard, Raven was ranked 77th and then 66th among the best workplaces by Fortune in 2016 and 2017 respectively. Co-founder Brian Raffel earned induction into the In Business Hall of Fame in recognition of his visionary leadership and profound contributions to the gaming sector, fostering a collaborative culture that significantly influenced the company's achievements.