Various video game industry professionals have confirmed the passing of Victor Antonov,Half-Life 2’sart director and the mastermind behind some of gaming’s most harrowing cityscapes.
Antonov was born in Bulgaria and later moved to the US, where he received training at the Art Center College of Design in California, which he described as one of the harshest schools in existence. Antonov joined Valve in 2000 as the art director ofHalf-Life 2and states that its development process and working with Gabe Newell was the bestlearning experience he ever had.
Half-Life 2featured a huge shift to a more realistic neo-steampunk world design from the more gamey hallways of the originalHalf-Life, and a lot of that was owed to Antonov. He’s the architect of the inhospitable City 17, the contrastingly beautiful seascape ofHalf-Life 2’s Lost CoastDLC, and the co-creator of City 17’s most iconic element, the Combine Citadel.
Just heard about the recent passing of art director and conceptual artist Viktor Antonov.still gotta be one of my favorite pieces from him, rest in peace.pic.twitter.com/cd0QBvb5WY
Many former colleagues have taken to social media to celebrate the man’s fantastic contribution to video games.Dishonored’sdirector, Raphael Colantonio, shared the regret of having never expressed how much admiration he had for Antonov, who was also the architect behind the beautifully dystopian Dunwall.
RIP Viktor Antonov.I wish I told you how much admiration I had for you but we get caught in our lives until a surprise lime this hits us.You were instrumental to the success of Arkane Studios and an inspiration to many of us, also a friend with whom I have many fond memoriespic.twitter.com/phdnVH3Scy
After leaving Valve for Arkane to makeDishonored, Antonov worked as an additional art director for Wolfenstein: The New Order and stayed at Bethesda to serve as a consultant on titles such asFallout 4, Dishonored 2, DOOM (2016),andPrey.
This breaks my heart more than words can describe. I have been an admirer of Victor Antonov Art style for quite a long time, probably since I was a child. When it came to dystopian worlds, he was able to made it visually beautiful yet also feel oppressive.RIP Viktor Antonov ✊https://t.co/l5pxwSyRoypic.twitter.com/BoGWrMxGb9
On top of his brilliant and visionary contributions to gaming, Viktor Antonov will be remembered by the people he has worked with as a unique and remarkable human being.
