HomeNewsThe Callisto Protocol

Dead Space co-creator leaves Callisto Protocol studio after survival-horror debut flopsFollowing layoffs last month

Following layoffs last month

Image credit:Krafton

Image credit:Krafton

A man in a space suit with a humanoid monster gaping over his shoulder in The Callisto Protocol

Dead Spaceco-creator Glen Schofield has departedThe Callisto Protocoldevelopers Striking Distance Studios in the wake of the underwhelming performance of their first game.Top 12 Best Horror Games to Play on PCWatch on YouTubeStriking Distance emerged in 2019 in charge of what wasoriginally envisionedas a narrative-focused spin-off fromPUBG: Battlegrounds. It later moved out from under the shadow of the battle royale game to become its own universe, albeit heavily indebted to Schofield’s work on the original Dead Space.The Callisto Protocol launched in December, earning mixed reviews - particularly on PCwhere it launched with notable performance problems- that translated into lower-than-expected sales, with reports that publisher Krafton had lowered its expectations for the game from five million copies sold toless than half of that.Despite later patches to fix its stuttering issues on PC and introduce new featuressuch as a New Game Plus mode, The Callisto Protocol struggled to regain much momentum, droppingits first and only bit of story DLCin June.In-between, the game faced further criticism for its Contagion Mode in March - with players complaining about the need to pay for a hardcore mode and death animations - as well as Striking Distance coming under fire forallegedly leaving a number of developers out of the game’s credits.Striking Distancelaid off more than 30 members of staff at the start of August, with Krafton saying the move would “realign the studio’s priorities to better position its current and future projects for success”.Dead Space PC Review - An Excellent Remake Of A Horror ClassicWatch on YouTubeSubsequently,Bloombergreports that Schofield has also now left the studio after “decid[ing] to pursue new opportunities”, with chief operating officer Stacey Hirata and chief financial officer Johnny Hsu similarly departing voluntarily.Filling Schofield’s shoes as CEO is former chief development officer Steve Papoutsis, who previously worked with Schofield at Dead Space developer Visceral Games.Schofield said that the changes wouldn’t affect the studio’s plans, and its “focus is to continue producing exceptional content”.

Dead Spaceco-creator Glen Schofield has departedThe Callisto Protocoldevelopers Striking Distance Studios in the wake of the underwhelming performance of their first game.Top 12 Best Horror Games to Play on PCWatch on YouTubeStriking Distance emerged in 2019 in charge of what wasoriginally envisionedas a narrative-focused spin-off fromPUBG: Battlegrounds. It later moved out from under the shadow of the battle royale game to become its own universe, albeit heavily indebted to Schofield’s work on the original Dead Space.The Callisto Protocol launched in December, earning mixed reviews - particularly on PCwhere it launched with notable performance problems- that translated into lower-than-expected sales, with reports that publisher Krafton had lowered its expectations for the game from five million copies sold toless than half of that.Despite later patches to fix its stuttering issues on PC and introduce new featuressuch as a New Game Plus mode, The Callisto Protocol struggled to regain much momentum, droppingits first and only bit of story DLCin June.In-between, the game faced further criticism for its Contagion Mode in March - with players complaining about the need to pay for a hardcore mode and death animations - as well as Striking Distance coming under fire forallegedly leaving a number of developers out of the game’s credits.Striking Distancelaid off more than 30 members of staff at the start of August, with Krafton saying the move would “realign the studio’s priorities to better position its current and future projects for success”.Dead Space PC Review - An Excellent Remake Of A Horror ClassicWatch on YouTubeSubsequently,Bloombergreports that Schofield has also now left the studio after “decid[ing] to pursue new opportunities”, with chief operating officer Stacey Hirata and chief financial officer Johnny Hsu similarly departing voluntarily.Filling Schofield’s shoes as CEO is former chief development officer Steve Papoutsis, who previously worked with Schofield at Dead Space developer Visceral Games.Schofield said that the changes wouldn’t affect the studio’s plans, and its “focus is to continue producing exceptional content”.

Dead Spaceco-creator Glen Schofield has departedThe Callisto Protocoldevelopers Striking Distance Studios in the wake of the underwhelming performance of their first game.

Top 12 Best Horror Games to Play on PCWatch on YouTube

Top 12 Best Horror Games to Play on PC

Cover image for YouTube video

Striking Distance emerged in 2019 in charge of what wasoriginally envisionedas a narrative-focused spin-off fromPUBG: Battlegrounds. It later moved out from under the shadow of the battle royale game to become its own universe, albeit heavily indebted to Schofield’s work on the original Dead Space.

The Callisto Protocol launched in December, earning mixed reviews - particularly on PCwhere it launched with notable performance problems- that translated into lower-than-expected sales, with reports that publisher Krafton had lowered its expectations for the game from five million copies sold toless than half of that.

Jacob raises his pistol at a biophage with tentacles pouring out of its stomach in The Callisto Protocol.

Despite later patches to fix its stuttering issues on PC and introduce new featuressuch as a New Game Plus mode, The Callisto Protocol struggled to regain much momentum, droppingits first and only bit of story DLCin June.

In-between, the game faced further criticism for its Contagion Mode in March - with players complaining about the need to pay for a hardcore mode and death animations - as well as Striking Distance coming under fire forallegedly leaving a number of developers out of the game’s credits.

Striking Distancelaid off more than 30 members of staff at the start of August, with Krafton saying the move would “realign the studio’s priorities to better position its current and future projects for success”.

Dead Space PC Review - An Excellent Remake Of A Horror ClassicWatch on YouTube

Dead Space PC Review - An Excellent Remake Of A Horror Classic

Cover image for YouTube video

Subsequently,Bloombergreports that Schofield has also now left the studio after “decid[ing] to pursue new opportunities”, with chief operating officer Stacey Hirata and chief financial officer Johnny Hsu similarly departing voluntarily.

Filling Schofield’s shoes as CEO is former chief development officer Steve Papoutsis, who previously worked with Schofield at Dead Space developer Visceral Games.

Schofield said that the changes wouldn’t affect the studio’s plans, and its “focus is to continue producing exceptional content”.