Dead Space creator Glen Schofield is retiring: “Times are tough right now, but the future ahead is really, really bright”
Glen Schofield, creator of the Dead Space series and director of several Call of Duty games, has announced his retirement.
Schofield broke the news of his retirement on LinkedIn, with a video reflecting on his 35 years in the games industry and thanking his peers, friends, and family.
“Some of you know me as a video game maker, director, and it’s something I’m so proud of and I know I’m lucky to be able to do this, but 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.”
Schofield has had a varied career in games, having served as vice president at Crystal Dynamics in the late ’90s and directed Gex 3D: Enter the Gecko and Gex 3: Deep Cover Gecko, as well as Blood Omen 2: Legacy of Kain. He created and executive produced the 2008 sci-fi horror masterpiece Dead Space under EA, and he co-directed and produced Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, and Call of Duty: WWII during his time with Sledgehammer Games and Activision. His career took a slight dip with his latest release, The Callisto Protocol, a 2022 survival horror game developed by Schofield’s Striking Distance Studios that wasn’t generally well-received.
“To my close friends and family, and people who have stood by me, patted me on the back, listened to my crazy ideas, thank you so much,” added Schofield. “To the fans: you’ve supported me, you let mine and my teams’ 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.”
In his emotional retirement video, Schofield struck a grateful tone throughout, saying he “had a front row seat to one of the greatest creative explosions in history,” and thanking EA for letting him make Dead Space and Activision for giving him “the keys to three Call of Duty games.”
Schofield also took the time to reflect on what’s undeniably a historically turbulent time in the games industry, an era marked by mass layoffs and AI controversies, but one he hopes will soon pass.
“This is in amazing industry, with so many talented people, and I know times are tough right now, but the future ahead is really, really bright,” he said. “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.”
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