Arkane Studios President and Co-Creative Director Raphael Colantonio is leaving the company after 18 years. He said he wants to spend more time with his family.

Colantonio revealed the move in a post on the Bethesda blog. "It is time for me to step out to spend some time with my son and reflect on what is important to me and my future," he said. Colantonio had headed the Austin division of Arkane, which recently released Prey. Harvey Smith, who heads Arkane's studio in Lyon, France, will now oversee the team until a new manager can be found or promoted.

Arkane was founded by Colantonio and three friends in 1999, with the critically acclaimed Arx Fatalis being its first title. The studio worked on a variety of games under his leadership before bringing Smith on board in 2008. They came up with the idea for Dishonored, which Bethesda agreed to publish. Bethesda then acquired the developer in 2010.

He offered no mention of what his future plans are other than family time, so it will be interesting to see if he surfaces again in a new venture in the next six months or so.