Key Takeaways
1. Glen Schofield, a veteran in game development, may be leaving the industry after 34 years due to challenges in securing funding and competition in AAA gaming.
2. He and his daughter worked on a new horror game idea that faced significant budget cuts, reducing the initial $17 million budget to as low as $2–5 million, leading to their decision to walk away from the project.
3. Schofield’s recent game, The Callisto Protocol, received mixed reviews and fell short of sales expectations, prompting his departure from Striking Distance Studios.
4. Following his exit, he expressed that the AAA gaming industry feels “on pause” and he is shifting focus to art and writing.
5. Despite stepping back, Schofield remains open to future opportunities and appreciates the support from fans of his games.
Glen Schofield, who is well-known for helping create the Dead Space series and starting Sledgehammer Games, has suggested that he might be done with the video game industry after a long and successful 34-year journey in game development.
Challenges in Game Development
In a revealing LinkedIn post on July 28, 2025, Schofield discussed the difficulties he faced while looking for funding for a new horror game and the fierce competition in today’s AAA gaming scene. He shared:
“Game industry, it’s tough out there. Over the past eight months, I’ve been quietly working with my daughter, Nicole, on a new game idea. She came to me with it, and I immediately loved the idea. Something I hadn’t seen before. We’ve been calling it a new sub-genre of horror–not just horror, but something more.”
Budget Cuts and Team Changes
The game was set to have a budget of $17 million, developed by a small U.S. team of six and a larger crew in the U.K. However, as discussions moved forward, publishers insisted on reducing the budget to a smaller $10 million limit, which eventually fell to a low of $2–5 million.
Schofield explained why he decided to step back from the project:
“So, last month, we decided to walk away. Some new ideas are better left untouched than done cheaply. We had a team of six in the States and a full crew in the UK. Now, everyone’s looking for work. They’re all talented folks – if you’re hiring, let me know.”
After The Callisto Protocol
Schofield’s exit comes after he directed The Callisto Protocol in 2022 at Striking Distance Studios, which he established in 2019. The game underwent several narrative changes, starting with concepts linked to the PUBG universe before transforming into a standalone sci-fi horror experience.
Sadly, the game got a mixed response, scoring 69/100 on Metacritic due to various bugs and performance troubles. According to SteamDB, The Callisto Protocol sold 2 million copies and reached a peak of 17,580 concurrent players.
This performance was significantly below Krafton’s target of 5 million sales. Following this lack of commercial success, Schofield chose to leave Striking Distance in September 2023, with Steve Papoutsis taking over the role of CEO.
Future Plans
With Schofield mentioning that the AAA industry is currently “on pause,” he has returned to focusing on art and writing. Yet, he remains open to potential opportunities, stating: “Who knows? If so, thank you for playing my games.”
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