Glen Schofield, co-creator of Dead Space and director of The Callisto Protocol, is leaving developer Striking Distance Studios. Schofield founded the studio and served as CEO, which was opened in conjunction with publisher KRAFTON in 2019.
As reported by Bloomberg, Schofield's departure was because the veteran developer had "decided to pursue new opportunities". Striking Distance's chief operating officer, Stacey Hirata, and chief financial officer, Johnny Hsu, will leave simultaneously. A KRAFTON representative told Bloomberg and IGN that all three departed the studio voluntarily. The Callisto Protocol reportedly failed to meet sales expectations or even to recoup development costs.
Released in December 2022, we enjoyed The Callisto Protocol but noted that it played things a bit safe and didn't do enough to separate itself from its spiritual progenitor. The more warmly received remake of Dead Space, launched in late January of 2023, likely didn't help matters much.
General manager and chief development officer Steve Papoutsis will take over as CEO. Schofield said in a statement addressing his departures: "Creating Striking Distance Studios has been an incredible journey, and I’m so proud of what we’ve achieved with The Callisto Protocol, a game close to my heart. While pursuing a new adventure is exciting, leaving SDS is bittersweet, but I know the studio is in excellent hands."