Glen Scofield leaves Stricking Distance after the failure of The Callisto Protocol
The developer of the video game Striking Distance Studios, a subsidiary of the Korean publisher Krafton Inc., appoints a new leadership a few months after the commercial failure of his first game.
The chief executive director Glen Scofield leaves, confirmed on Wednesday the representative of Krafton, saying that he was “I decided to use new opportunities“. The Chief Operational Director and Financial Director of Strikeing Distance also leave the company. Krafton stated that all three departments were voluntary.
Development Director Steve Papucis will take the post of general director. In his statement, Scofield said that his departure was “bitter-sweet, but I know that the studio in good hands“.
Scofield founded the studio in 2019 to become the spiritual successor of Dead Space, the science fiction series of horrors, on which he worked in Electronic Arts Inc. In December 2022, the company launched The Callisto Protocol, having received mediocre reviews. In January, analysts said that the game will be sold in a circulation of 2 million copies, which does not match the Krafton goal of 5 million. In recent months, Striking Distance has fired more than 30 employees. The company’s website now indicates about 90 employees.
Shaggers in the company-developer of games from San Ramon, California, reflect the troubled nature of the video game industry. The creation of high-budget games has been taking years, and their cost can reach hundreds of millions of dollars, which means that one single mistake can seriously undermine the prospects of the gaming company.
New franchises are rare in the industry, where most high -budget games are based on recognized intellectual property to reduce risks. The Callisto Protocol release was overshadowed by malfunctions and performance problems, which reduced its chances of success in the competitive market. A month after the release of Electronic Arts released the Dead Space remake, which received the recognition of critics.
Krafton representative said that “Studio plans remain unchanged“.