Glen Schofield, creator of Dead Space and The Callisto Protocol, has announced his retirement, bringing to an end a 35-year career in the games industry.
Schofield broke the news in a video posted on his LinkedIn profile, where he expressed his thanks and gratitude to his friends, family and fans.
“After 35 years of making games and directing them, running teams, it’s time for me to officially retire from the day-to-day work,” Schofield said.
“It’s been such an amazing career, and I have so many people to thank for it, but I can’t possibly do it all here. To my close friends and family and people who’ve stood by me, patted me on the back, listened to my crazy ideas, thank you so much.”
“To the fans. Many supported me, you invited my team’s games into your homes, you told me when I was good and you told me when I wasn’t so good, but you made me better.
“Thank you so much.”
Schofield continued to reflect on his time in the industry, thanking those he worked alongside throughout his career, as well as Electronic Arts and Activision, who published some of Schofield’s biggest titles.
“I had a front row seat to one of the greatest creative explosions in history,” Schofield said.
“And to EA, thank you for letting me make Dead Space. And Activision, you gave me the keys to three Call of Duty games, and I really appreciate your trust.”
In his closing remarks, Schofield offered words of support to those working in, or looking to work in, the games industry.
“This is an amazing industry, with so many talented people, and I know times are tough right now, but man, the future ahead is really, really bright.”
“I wish you all, the next generation of game makers, the best of luck. Explore, experiment, enjoy, and don’t forget that the most important thing is the idea.”
Schofield’s career began in 1991, when he spent many of his first years in the industry working on licensed games, including EA’s The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
His rise to prominence in the games industry, however, came as the creator of Dead Space, where he and the team at Visceral Games produced one of the most iconic horror games in the medium. Despite modest sales, the game received an overwhelmingly positive reception from critics and players alike, laying the foundations for a new franchise in the survival horror genre.
Schofield left Visceral Games in 2009 and went on to co-found Sledgehammer Games with Dead Space co-director Michael Condrey. The duo would go on to lead development for two Call of Duty titles: Advanced Warfare (2014) and WWII (2017), having started as a co-developer on Modern Warfare 3 (2011).
In 2019, Schofield left Sledgehammer to once again found a new studio: Striking Distance. The first and only game that Schofield directed at Striking Distance was 2022’s The Callisto Protocol, which served as a spiritual successor to Dead Space.
The game went on to receive mixed reviews, with publisher Krafton stating that the game had failed to meet sales expectations, with EA’s Dead Space remake considered by many to be a contributing factor.