Glen Schofield, the longtime games director behind Dead Space and The Callisto Protocol, has announced his retirement after a 35-year career in game development.
In a video posted to LinkedIn, Schofield thanked family, friends, colleagues and partners — including Electronic Arts and Activision — and reflected on a career that spanned classic 1990s work through modern AAA production.
Schofield’s resume includes early work at Imagineering, the games division of Absolute Entertainment, where he began in the early 1990s.
He later contributed to projects at Capcom USA and directed titles at Crystal Dynamics, including Gex: Enter the Gecko and Gex 3: Deep Cover Gecko as well as Blood Omen 2.
Schofield joined Electronic Arts and directed the original Dead Space, which launched in 2008 for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC and helped establish his reputation for cinematic horror and technical ambition.
In 2009 Schofield co-founded Sledgehammer Games with Michael Condrey; the studio played prominent roles on Call of Duty entries across the 2010s, including involvement in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2011), Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (2014) and Call of Duty: WWII (2017).
He later left Sledgehammer to form Striking Distance Studios, which developed The Callisto Protocol, released December 2, 2022 and published by Krafton.
Paraphrasing Schofield’s LinkedIn message, he said the time had come to step away from day-to-day leadership after decades of directing teams and shipping titles, and he expressed gratitude to fans who welcomed his teams’ games into their homes.
He also acknowledged peers and developers, calling the past decades a period of creative growth and some of the best games ever made.
In interviews and past profiles Schofield has recounted his start in the industry: a friend referred him to Absolute, he worked two weeks for free on a prototype level and then earned a full-time role as one of the company’s earliest employees.
He recalled that artists at the time often wore multiple hats, serving as both designers and art contributors on constrained hardware.
Speaking to GamesBeat about the decision to retire, Schofield described the development of The Callisto Protocol as exceptionally difficult due to COVID-era production, and said he had taken time off to pursue painting, sculpting and creative interests.
He noted recent back surgery and a recognition that the stamina required for frontline AAA development was changing with age, calling the moment an inflection point for the next generation of creators.
While Schofield’s most prominent releases have appeared on PlayStation, Xbox and PC platforms, discussions around platform availability and ports — including interest in Nintendo Switch releases that are sometimes announced via Nintendo Direct or distributed through the eShop — remain part of how audiences engage with legacy catalogs.
Schofield’s retirement closes a significant chapter in modern AAA development and his work will remain influential across studios and genres.
In a video posted to LinkedIn, Schofield thanked family, friends, colleagues and partners — including Electronic Arts and Activision — and reflected on a career that spanned classic 1990s work through modern AAA production.
Schofield’s resume includes early work at Imagineering, the games division of Absolute Entertainment, where he began in the early 1990s.
He later contributed to projects at Capcom USA and directed titles at Crystal Dynamics, including Gex: Enter the Gecko and Gex 3: Deep Cover Gecko as well as Blood Omen 2.
Schofield joined Electronic Arts and directed the original Dead Space, which launched in 2008 for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC and helped establish his reputation for cinematic horror and technical ambition.
In 2009 Schofield co-founded Sledgehammer Games with Michael Condrey; the studio played prominent roles on Call of Duty entries across the 2010s, including involvement in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2011), Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (2014) and Call of Duty: WWII (2017).
He later left Sledgehammer to form Striking Distance Studios, which developed The Callisto Protocol, released December 2, 2022 and published by Krafton.
Paraphrasing Schofield’s LinkedIn message, he said the time had come to step away from day-to-day leadership after decades of directing teams and shipping titles, and he expressed gratitude to fans who welcomed his teams’ games into their homes.
He also acknowledged peers and developers, calling the past decades a period of creative growth and some of the best games ever made.
In interviews and past profiles Schofield has recounted his start in the industry: a friend referred him to Absolute, he worked two weeks for free on a prototype level and then earned a full-time role as one of the company’s earliest employees.
He recalled that artists at the time often wore multiple hats, serving as both designers and art contributors on constrained hardware.
Speaking to GamesBeat about the decision to retire, Schofield described the development of The Callisto Protocol as exceptionally difficult due to COVID-era production, and said he had taken time off to pursue painting, sculpting and creative interests.
He noted recent back surgery and a recognition that the stamina required for frontline AAA development was changing with age, calling the moment an inflection point for the next generation of creators.
While Schofield’s most prominent releases have appeared on PlayStation, Xbox and PC platforms, discussions around platform availability and ports — including interest in Nintendo Switch releases that are sometimes announced via Nintendo Direct or distributed through the eShop — remain part of how audiences engage with legacy catalogs.
Schofield’s retirement closes a significant chapter in modern AAA development and his work will remain influential across studios and genres.
