Celebrated artist and art director Viktor Antonov, known for shaping the worlds of Half-Life 2 and Dishonored, has passed away.
Eschatology Entertainment, a studio co-founded by Antonov in 2022, confirmed the news on Linkedin and praised his contributions to the game industry.
“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,” wrote the studio.
“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.”
According to his Linkedin page, Antonov joined Valve in 1999 and spent seven years at the company as art director. During his tenure, he worked on notable projects including Counter-Strike: Source and Half-Life 2.
After departing Valve in 2006, Antonov joined Arkane Studios to oversee the visual direction of the Dishonored franchise. He eventually moved to ZeniMax Media in 2011, taking on the role of visual design director and working on titles such as Wolfenstein: The New Order, Doom, and Fallout 4.
Throughout his career, Antonov received multiple awards from organizations such as BAFTA and The Visual Effects Society.