Viktor Antonov, an artist and art director who played a major role in defining the visual style of some of most visually-striking video games in the history of the medium, has died. He was 52 years old.
Born in Bulgaria, Antonov began his career in games in the late 1990s, and rose to prominence in 2004 when he was the art director on Half-Life 2, a game whose ultra-stylised villains and decrepit Eastern European setting gave it such a unique style it made people look up who its art director even was, and looks as fresh today as it did at release.
Antonov then went into work at Arkane, where he not only played a major role in the iconic visuals of the Dishonored series, but also The Crossing, a game that was ultimately cancelled before release but which I still think about from time to time. Mostly because of its art.
Other games Antonov worked on in a supervisory or consultant role include Fallout 4, Wolfenstein: The New Order, Prey and 2016's Doom.
More recently Antonov had been working at Eschatology Entertainment, a company he co-founded, on an upcoming, unannounced shooter. Eschatology posted a short statement earlier today, which reads:
It's hard to say goodbye to colleagues, it's painful to lose a friend, and the world changes when talented people leave. It's terrifying when it all comes together at one point.
Today, our studio mourns a dear colleague, an inspiring friend, and a legendary visual director. One of the founders of Eschatology Entertainment, Viktor Antonov, passed away a week ago. We are still waiting for official papers, but unfortunately, these are not rumors.
The journey we shared with Viktor, the inspiration he brought, and the world we built together hold deep meaning for us. We are grateful for the incredible experience, the remarkable history we created side by side, and for his talent and vision—without which the very foundation of our studio would not have been possible.
Viktor made an enormous contribution to shaping the unique world of our upcoming project and influenced the entire team's vision of the game's universe. It is deeply saddening that Viktor will no longer be able to personally present this universe with us.
Our heartfelt condolences go out to his family, friends, and colleagues. We grieve together.
