Glen Schofield, co-creator of Dead Space and co-founder of Sledgehammer Games, recently directed The Callisto Protocol. He described the current state of the games industry as "tough" and acknowledged he may have "directed my last game" after being unable to secure funding for his latest prototype.
In a frank post on LinkedIn, Schofield revealed he had been collaborating with his "highly skilled artist" daughter, Nicole. She approached him with an innovative concept for a horror title—potentially defining a new subgenre, though specifics weren't disclosed—and they had spent the past eight months developing the idea.
Working with a "small, talented team" of six U.S. developers and a "full team" in the UK, Schofield began pitching the project. Most recipients "loved the concept." Initially estimating a budget of $17 million, he was advised to reduce it to $10 million, then later to streamline further to the "$2-5 million" range.
"Last month, we made the difficult decision to abandon the project. Some ideas are best left unrealized than executed with insufficient resources," Schofield explained. "We had a core team of six in the U.S. and a full team in the UK. Now, everyone is seeking employment. They're all highly capable professionals—please reach out if you have openings.
"As for myself—I've worked on projects of all scales. From two-person teams to over 300 developers. The last 15–20 years were spent creating major AAA titles with exceptional teams. That's my expertise and my passion. But with the industry currently stalled, large-scale AAA development seems distant."
Schofield mentions returning to his "artistic pursuits" but confesses he deeply misses AAA game development.
"I miss every aspect; the collaborative team environment, the creative chaos, the satisfaction of building experiences for players. I remain active—creating art, developing stories and concepts, and continuing to support the industry. But perhaps I've directed my final game. Only time will tell. If so, I extend my sincere gratitude to everyone who has played my games."
Striking Distance was established over six years ago by Schofield. The studio operates under Krafton, the parent company holding rights to the massively popular battle royale game PUBG. Initially formed to create a narrative-driven experience within the PUBG universe, the studio ultimately released The Callisto Protocol—a standalone third-person survival horror title separate from PUBG that launched in December 2022.
The Callisto Protocol received mixed critical responses and encountered numerous challenges, from technical performance problems to reports of intensive development crunch and crediting controversies regarding development contributors. Approximately one month post-launch, reports indicated the game fell short of Krafton's sales projections, and Schofield departed the company in September 2023.
Our evaluation deemed The Callisto Protocol 'Good,' assigning a 7/10 score in our review. We noted: "The Callisto Protocol delivers a viscerally satisfying spiritual successor to the Dead Space franchise, though it ultimately presents as a polished modern homage rather than a genuinely innovative evolution of the genre."
