Raven Software (1990)
Dark Fantasy FPS Legends, Hexen, Jedi Outcast, and Modern Warzone Architects
Founded in 1990 by brothers Brian and Steve Raffel in Wisconsin, Raven Software is one of the most prolific and technically revered first-person shooter creators. Closely allied with id Software, Raven produced dark fantasy milestones Heretic and Hexen, designed the anatomy-targeted GHOUL engine in Soldier of Fortune, and serves as primary developer of Call of Duty: Warzone.
The id Software Alliance: Heretic and Hexen
Forming a legendary partnership with John Carmack and John Romero, Raven utilized the Doom engine to build Heretic (1994). Introducing player-activated inventory systems and vertical camera looking, they followed with Hexen (1995), introducing branching hub-level structures and selectable character classes into dark fantasy first-person shooting.
Soldier of Fortune, Jedi Outcast, and Warzone
In 2000, Raven unleashed Soldier of Fortune, featuring the revolutionary GHOUL engine with 26 independent locational damage zones. They followed with the definitive lightsaber combat in Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Outcast (2002) and Jedi Academy (2003). Acquired by Activision, Raven now acts as the master developer managing the multi-billion-dollar battle royale ecosystem Call of Duty: Warzone.