LogInGlen Schofield, the founder of Striking Distance Studios, is leaving the studio, apparently after the failed release of their debut game, The Callisto Protocol.
Image credit: Glen Schofield
Recently, Krafton has confirmed that Glen Schofield, CEO of Striking Distance Studios, will be departing from the company, as he has chosen to pursue new opportunities. Additionally, both the COO and CFO of Striking Distance, a subsidiary of Krafton, will also be leaving. Krafton emphasized that all three departures were voluntary decisions.
Striking Distance Studios was founded by Schofield, who's well-known for the work on Dead Space during his time at Electronic Arts Inc. Originally founded to develop a narrative-focused game within the PUBG universe, the studio unveiled The Callisto Protocol as their debut project, a third-person survival horror game that was launched in December. However, the game's release received a mixed reception and encountered various challenges. Roughly a month after its release, it was reported that The Callisto Protocol fell short of meeting Krafton's sales projections (it was supposed to sell 2 million copies, instead of 5 million as it had been earlier planned).
The role of CEO will go to Stephen Papoutsis, who previously held the position of Director of Development at the studio. Papoutsis has an extensive background in the gaming industry, notably working at Visceral Games during the 2000s and 2010s, where he contributed to the Dead Space series and continued his involvement even after Schofield's departure.
Krafton representatives have reassured that the management reshuffle and departures have not impacted the future plans of Striking Distance, emphasizing that the studio's vision and objectives remain unchanged.
Earlier on, we reported on Panos Panay, the Chief Product Officer at Microsoft behind Windows and Surface development, leaving the company. If you want to learn more, you can read our latest article.
For more information about Glen Schofield, you can have a look at Bloombergs's report. Also, don't forget to join our 80 Level Talent platform and our Telegram channel, follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn, where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.