Glen Schofield, co-creator of Dead Space, has left Striking Distance Studios, the developers behind The Callisto Protocol, after their first game failed to meet expectations.
Striking Distance Studios was established in 2019 with the initial intention of creating a narrative-focused spin-off of PUBG: Battlegrounds. However, it later transitioned into its own universe, heavily influenced by Schofield’s work on the original Dead Space.
The Callisto Protocol was released in December and received mixed reviews, particularly on PC due to notable performance issues. These issues, along with other factors, resulted in lower-than-expected sales. Reports suggest that publisher Krafton had revised their sales target for the game from five million copies to less than half of that.
Despite efforts to address the performance issues and introduce new features, such as a New Game Plus mode, The Callisto Protocol struggled to regain momentum. In June, it released its first and only story DLC.
The game faced additional criticism for its Contagion Mode, with players unhappy about having to pay for a hardcore mode and death animations. Striking Distance Studios also received backlash for allegedly not giving credit to certain developers.
In August, Striking Distance Studios laid off more than 30 employees. Publisher Krafton stated that this restructuring would help position the studio and its projects for success.
According to Bloomberg, Glen Schofield has now left the studio to pursue new opportunities. Chief operating officer Stacey Hirata and chief financial officer Johnny Hsu have also voluntarily departed. Former chief development officer Steve Papoutsis, who previously worked with Schofield at Visceral Games, will take over as CEO.
Schofield stated that these changes would not affect the studio’s plans and that their focus remains on producing exceptional content.