It has been revealed that Glen Schofield – the co-founder of The Callisto Protocol development studio, Striking Distance – is leaving the business, along with two other executives. He’s stepping down as CEO and being joined by the firm’s COO and CFO as Krafton, the studio’s parent company, cleans house following the less-than-stellar performance of The Callisto Protocol.
Schofield, who co-founded Striking Distance in 2019, is a co-creator of Dead Space, the legendary horror series that saw its first release gloriously remastered at the start of 2023. Following a series of layoffs within Striking Distance, Krafton has targeted the head honchos of the studio.
Struck Down
Sadly, The Callisto Protocol looked good on the surface but couldn’t deliver quite as well as Dead Space did, despite being a spiritual successor of sorts. It sold fairly well – but not well enough – and now the price is being paid in the most tragic way.
Schofield went on record stressing that he has ‘decided to pursue new opportunities’ and that his departure is ‘bittersweet’, but both he and Krafton stress that the studio’s plans remain unchanged going forward. There’s already a successor lined up for Schofield, and it’s Steve Papoutsis, currently the chief development officer for Striking Distance and another veteran of the Dead Space franchise.
This news comes just hours after it was revealed that Crystal Dynamics has also suffered layoffs amidst the ongoing economic struggles of the game industry.
For more Insider Gaming coverage, check out the news that Criterion is now working on Battlefield
