Highlights
- Dead Space co-creator Glen Schofield is leaving Striking Distance Studios (SDS) after the disappointing release of The Callisto Protocol.
- Chief Development Officer Steve Papoutsis will take over as the new CEO, marking the second time he has taken over one of Schofield's teams.
- The effects of Schofield's departure remain to be seen, but the company is currently advertising for several non-executive positions, indicating a potential growth phase.
Dead Space co-creator Glen Schofield is leaving Striking Distance Studios (SDS) four years after founding the San Ramon, California-based developer. His departure follows the underwhelming release of The Callisto Protocol, the company's first game that severely underperformed sales expectations.
The survival horror title that was pitched as a spiritual successor to Dead Space debuted on PC and the last two console generations in December 2022, launching to mixed reviews and player reactions. The lukewarm reception contributed to The Callisto Protocol falling short of the sales expectations stemming from its reportedly AAA budget.
Some ten months later, Schofield is on his way out of the company, having "decided to pursue new opportunities," reads a media statement provided to Game ZXC. SDS parent Krafton appointed Chief Development Officer Steve Papoutsis as the new CEO. This is the second time that Papoutsis will be taking over one of Schofield's teams, having already done so after the outgoing SDS CEO left Visceral Games—formerly EA Redwood Studios—in 2009. The duo goes back even further, as they first collaborated at Crystal Dynamics in the late '90s.
While Schofield himself described this turn of events as "bittersweet," he talked up Papoutsis as being the right person to continue leading the developer. "I know the studio is in excellent hands," he explained in a media statement relayed by the company. SDS suggested that this move has been in the making for a while now, revealing that it has been "carefully planning" for this newly announced leadership transition in order to avoid any impact on its everyday operations. "Our staff remains a top priority," the company said, shortly after dozens of The Callisto Protocol developers were laid off in early August.
The effects of Schofield's withdrawal from Striking Distance Studios remain to be seen. For the time being, his departure will merely add to the list of openings that the company is looking to fill, assuming the new CEO won't be expected to wear two hats. The studio is advertising eight non-executive positions as of September 19, in addition to soliciting general applications from artists and programmers, indicating that it is once again looking to grow after the summer layoffs. The developer currently has 88 employees who aren't members of its C-suite, according to the team overview on its official website. Publicly available LinkedIn data puts the company's headcount after Schofield's departure at 131.
While the famous video game designer rose to prominence with Dead Space, his profile later grew after co-founding Sledgehammer Games and selling it to Activision over a four-month period ending in November 2009. Following a nine-year stint at the gaming giant, Schofield left Activision in late 2018 and went to found SDS the following year.