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Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Glen Schofield left Striking Distance Studios in September 2023, saying he was moving on to pursue a new opportunity. Krafton, the studio’s parent company, gave the same public explanation. Steve Papoutsis, then the studio’s general manager and chief development officer, succeeded him as CEO. Contemporary reports also described layoffs and commercial concerns around The Callisto Protocol, but they did not establish those issues as the reason for Schofield’s personal decision.
What was the public reason for Schofield’s departure?
Krafton said Schofield had “decided to pursue new opportunities,” according to Push Square’s September 2023 report. Schofield’s own statement described the departure as “bittersweet”: he said creating the studio had been an incredible journey, that he was proud of The Callisto Protocol, and that the studio was “in excellent hands.”
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Those are the public explanations. The available statements do not identify a private motive or say that a particular business result prompted Schofield to leave.
Who replaced him, and who else left?
Steve Papoutsis, who was general manager and chief development officer, took over as Striking Distance Studios’ CEO. Contemporary reports also said chief operating officer Stacey Hirata and chief financial officer Johnny Hsu departed around the same period.
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Schofield’s exit therefore came amid broader leadership changes, rather than as the only reported executive departure. These are events from September 2023, not a description of the studio’s current leadership.
How did The Callisto Protocol fit into the story?
The Callisto Protocol was the studio’s survival-horror game and the main project associated with Schofield’s tenure there. In a 2021 Striking Distance Studios interview, Schofield described it as a story-driven, single-player survival-horror game. The departure coverage listed PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 versions.
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Reports at the time connected Schofield’s departure with the game’s commercial performance and restructuring at the studio. That timing is context, not proof that the game’s sales caused his decision to leave.
What was happening at the studio before the departure?
Striking Distance Studios was founded in 2019 with Schofield as CEO. In its February 2021 interview, the studio said it had “150 plus people” at that time; that figure is a dated headcount, not a current staffing total.
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Game World Observer reported that 32 employees were laid off in August 2023. The outlet also relayed a reported Krafton sales expectation of five million copies and said the game was on a trajectory toward two million. Total sales were undisclosed, and Game World Observer characterized the development budget as reported to exceed $160 million. These are reported figures, not audited totals, and they do not establish why Schofield personally departed.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Did The Callisto Protocol’s sales lead to Schofield’s departure?
The public explanation was that Schofield had decided to pursue new opportunities. Although reports placed his exit alongside sales concerns, layoffs and executive changes, the available reporting does not demonstrate that the game’s performance was the definitive cause of his departure.
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