Dead Space, The Callisto Protocol Director Says He Might be Done Directing Games

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Glen Schofield, the mastermind behind Dead Space and director of The Callisto Protocol (2022), has hinted at stepping away from game directing temporarily. In a LinkedIn post, Schofield discussed the challenges faced in securing funding for a new project he was developing with his daughter.

For the past eight months, I’ve been secretly collaborating with my daughter, Nicole, on an innovative game concept that she brought to life. The moment I heard her idea, I was captivated, as it presented a fresh perspective in gaming, one I hadn’t encountered before. We’ve affectionately referred to it as a unique sub-genre within the horror genre – not just horror, but something far more intriguing and engaging.

Initially, Schofield planned to spend $17 million on fully developing the project and created a prototype with a small team to attract funding. However, he encountered difficulties in securing financing for the game. Many investors suggested reducing the budget from $10 million to as low as $2 to $5 million, which Schofield found challenging.

A month ago, we made the difficult decision to abandon the project. Some concepts are better left unexecuted than executed poorly,” he explained. “Our team in the U.S. consisted of six individuals, and we had a full crew in the UK as well. Unfortunately, everyone is now job hunting since the project fell through. They’re all exceptionally talented individuals—if you have any open positions, I’d be happy to pass along their information.

Speaking of myself, I’ve had the opportunity to work on games of all scales, ranging from two-person projects to ones involving more than 300 developers. Over the past 15 to 20 years, I’ve been part of creating large-scale AAA games with fantastic teams. This is my passion, this is what I do. But with the industry temporarily on hold, it seems like the world of AAA games is quite a distance away.

As a fellow gamer, I’ve got some news about one of our industry legends, Schofield. He’s shared plans to step back from directing new projects for now and focus on his personal art instead. There’s even a chance he might hang up his director’s hat in the world of gaming forever, but remember, nothing is carved in stone.

He stated that he is still active, creating art, composing stories, and supporting the industry. However, he may have finished directing his final game – only time will tell. If this is true, he expressed gratitude for everyone who has played his games.

In his final directorial project before leaving, Schofield worked on “The Callisto Protocol”. Unfortunately, this game didn’t meet the commercial expectations of its publisher, Krafton. As a result, Schofield parted ways with Striking Distance Studios, an organization he co-founded, and his role was assumed by Steve Papoutsis.

2023 saw Krafton express their appreciation for Glen’s exceptional work at their company. He skillfully assembled a top-notch team at Striking Distance Studios, consistently raising the bar on their daily achievements. We remain optimistic about the team’s future success due to Glen’s profound influence, and we are deeply grateful for his contributions.

The video game titled “The Callisto Protocol” is now available on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. Following its initial launch, various updates have been made to the game, including one towards the end of last year that introduced PS5 Pro enhancements. For additional information about the game, feel free to read our review of the original version.

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2025-07-28 17:47