Michele Caletti, executive producer at Milestone, has been at the Milanese studio “forever”. At least, that’s according to the estimations of game design manager Andrea Basilio and lead game designer Federico Spada. In actuality, Caletti joined in 2003, seven years into the studio’s life. Over the course of our conversations, though, it becomes clear that in some fundamental way, Caletti is Milestone. Asked about the studio’s formation, he speaks for 30 unbroken minutes. Every word of that monologue radiates passion, but Caletti might have found himself with less to talk about had Milestone not so dramatically transformed itself in the years immediately after he joined.
2003 was a pivotal year for the studio, which began in 1994 as Graffiti and under founder Antonio Farina’s leadership made a name for itself with PC driving game Two years later, the studio rebranded as Milestone and took the momentum had generated to set up publishing deals with both Virgin and Electronic Arts, the former publishing and the latter facilitating three licensed titles. Those games, released between 1996 and 2000, earned Milestone both
