A Krafton representative confirmed Wednesday that now-former Chief Executive Officer Glen Schofield is leaving Striking Distance Studios after The Callisto Protocol’s poor reception.
Schofield founded the games studio in 2019 for the purpose of making a spiritual successor to one of his previous titles, Dead Space. Unfortunately, this successor, The Callisto Protocol, didn’t get the reception that was hoped for. Releasing weeks away from an actual Dead Space remake, many opted to play this instead of taking a chance with Striking Distance’s title.
Instead of reaching the target of 5 million sales, The Callisto Protocol fell short of this, reaching 2 million instead, a severe blow for Krafton’s golden boy. The poor reception went beyond simple sales targets, as many took to Steam to leave unfavorable reviews. With 62% mixed reviews, many players were torn over disappointing RTX and various bugs.
Following this disappointing release, Striking Distance Studio laid off 32 people over the last month, proving that the studio still hasn’t recovered from its release earlier this year. In a statement to GamesRadar+, parent company Krafton said, “Striking Distance Studios and Krafton have implemented strategic changes that realign the studio’s priorities to better position its current and future projects for success.”
After a turbulent few months, Schofield decided to “pursue new opportunities” and move on from the studio. Along with the former CEO, Striking Distance has also lost its chief financial officer and chief operating officer. Krafton said that all three departures were voluntary.
In a statement, Schofield has said that the departure was “bittersweet, but I know the studio is in excellent hands” (via Bloomberg). Krafton has also tried to reassure players, saying that the “studio’s plans remain unaffected”.
If you are a fan of terrifying extra-terrestrial adventures like The Callisto Protocol or Dead Space, check out these great horror games and survival games available to play right now.