Striking Distance Studios CEO and co-founder Glen Schofield is leaving the company, less than one year after the release of its debut game, The Callisto Protocol. Furthermore, the studio’s chief operating and chief financial officers are leaving too.
According to Bloomberg and confirmed by Striking Distance Studios parent company Krafton, Schofield has “decided to pursue new opportunities.” Kraton also mentioned that his resignation was voluntary, along with chief operating officer Stacey Hirata and chief financial officer Johnny Hsu’s as well.
Chief development officer Steve Papoutsis will assume Schofield’s former role as CEO. He has worked on games such as Dead Space 2 and Battlefield Hardline during his tenure at Electronic Arts. He has also worked on franchises such as Medal of Honor, Legacy of Kain, and Gex.
In a statement shared with GameSpot, Schofield said, “Creating Striking Distance Studios has been an incredible journey and I’m so proud of what we’ve achieved with The Callisto Protocol, a game close to my heart. While pursuing a new adventure is exciting, leaving SDS is bittersweet, but I know the studio is in excellent hands.”
He continued, “Steve and I go way back to working at Visceral Games. I saw how successful he was in taking the reins after my departure then and how he continued the studio’s success and growth. That’s how I know he’s the one to lead the studio into its next chapter.”
Schofield also confirmed that he had been planning his exit from the studio and wanted to make a smooth as a transition as possible. He explained that the studio’s plans remain unaffected by his departure.
Striking Distance Studios laid off more than 30 staff back in August, possibly due to the poor critical reception and commercial sales of The Callisto Protocol. This isn’t the first studio to implement these kinds of layoffs. Earlier this month, Ascendent Studios laid off almost half of its staff due to Immortals of Aveum’s lackluster sales.
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