Glen Schofield Departs Striking Distance In Pursuit Of New Adventures

In the pursuit of new opportunities.

By Mudassir Hussain September 21, 2023

Story Highlights

Glen Schofield, the founder and CEO of Striking Distance, has left the studio following The Callisto Protocol’s failed launch.
Schofield, who has also co-created Dead Space, called his departure “bittersweet.”
Steve Papoutsis, chief development officer, will replace his position.
Striking Distance has undergone drastic changes, laying off over 30 employees in recent months. The studio’s website reveals less than 100 employees remain at work.

Glen Schofield, the founder and CEO of Striking Distance Studios and the co-creator of Dead Space, is leaving his studio after the commercial failure of The Callisto Protocol (thanks, Bloomberg). Chief development officer Steve Papoutsis will replace him. Schofield called his departure to be “bittersweet,” adding, “But I know the studio is in excellent hands.”

The Callisto Protocol received its last bit of content in June with the DLC chapter, Final Transmission. Since the beginning, the game was not received very well, and perhaps due to its failed launch, Glen Schofield departed from the studio he founded himself. The Callisto Protocol had a budget of £132 million but failed to hit the mark by selling only two million copies, 3 million less than what Krafton had expected.

In the months after Final Transmission’s release, Striking Distance Studios let go of 32 employees to “realign the studio’s priorities.” Currently, around 90 employees remain at the studio, and now, without its original founder, the studio has drastically changed since its inception. Schofield created the studio in 2019 under Krafton Inc., whose representative told Bloomberg that Schofield has “decided to pursue new opportunities.”

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[Striking Distance Studios] is bittersweet, but I know the studio is in excellent hands,” he added “Steve and I go way back to working at Visceral Games. I saw how successful he was in taking the reins after my departure and how he continued the studio’s success and growth. That’s how I know he’s the one to lead the studio into its next chapter,” says Glen Schofield.

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Steve Papoutsis was among the first people to join Striking Distance Studios and is known for his work on the Dead Space franchise. He served as chief development officer and general manager at Striking Distance and will now be the new CEO.

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