Striking Distance CEO Glen Schofield is leaving the Krafton-owned studio after its debut game, The Callisto Protocol, failed to meet expectations.
A Krafton representative told Bloomberg Schofield has “decided to pursue new opportunities”, and that Striking Distance’s chief operating officer and chief financial officer are also leaving the company voluntarily.
Former Sledgehammer Games and Visceral Games general manager Schofield, who is best known as the co-creator of Dead Space, founded Striking Distance in 2019 with the goal of crafting an original narrative experience in the PUBG universe.
The project evolved over time into a sci-fi survival horror game that was no longer tied to the PUBG franchise. The Callisto Protocol received mixed reviews when it was released last December, a month before EA released a critically acclaimed Dead Space remake.
In January, an analyst claimed Krafton had targeted five million sales for The Callisto Protocol, but that following a slow start it could struggle to reach two million by the end of 2023.
Bloomberg reports that Striking Distance has laid off over 30 members of staff in recent months, and that it now has a headcount of around 90 employees, according to its website.
Striking Distance’s chief development officer, Steve Papoutsis, will replace Schofield as CEO.
Papoutsis was one of Schofield’s first hires at Striking Distance. He also previously worked at EA’s Visceral Games, where led development of the Dead Space franchise and eventually became general manager after Schofield’s departure to Activision’s Sledgehammer.
Schofield called his departure from Striking Distance “bittersweet, but I know the studio is in excellent hands”.
