An interview with The Callisto Protocol Game Director Glen Schofield
Glen Schofield has been an artist his whole life. After majoring in illustration at Pratt Institute, he has been working in the video game industry for several decades as an artist, an art director, and a producer, including creating Dead Space franchsie, and working on Call of Duty for a decade. Now, as the chief executive officer and founder of Striking Distance Studios, he’s looking down the barrel of the launch of new sci-fi survival horror game The Callisto Protocol on Dec. 2. Keep reading for Glen’s stories on setting up a new studio and working on a different kind of horror experience.
※ KRAFTON Blog will continue to present the interviews with the five leaders of Striking Distance Studios through the launch of The Callisto Protocol on December 2nd.
Hi! Nice to meet you. Could you briefly introduce yourself?
Sure. My name is Glen Schofield. I’m the chief executive officer and founder of Striking Distance Studios. The fun part of my job is that I am the game director of The Callisto Protocol. I mean it. It’s the fun part.
Starting up a new studio for a new project with a new intellectual property (IP) content, that could have been a tough challenge even for you.
Yes it was. But the good thing was that I’ve made a studio before. I thought we were able to anticipate a lot of stuff but still we encountered a lot more. We’re building an all new IP with an all new team, on a new engine, on all new consoles. And on top of it all, we did it during a global pandemic.
I wouldn’t say all those are obstacles. They’re just challenges. They’re just things we had to overcome. Luckily, I’ve got this solid C team that consists of Chief Development Officer Steve Papoutsis, Chief Creative Officer Chris Stone, Chief Technical Director Mark James, and Chief Operating Officer Stacey Hirata. We’re able to work together, getting through all those challenges.
And I have to mention all the support from KRAFTON and the CEO, CH Kim. I’ve been speaking to Ashley Nam, who’s heading the Game Production & Media Expansion Division at KRAFTON, every week. They have been so responsive, helping us whenever they could get through all that. They have also helped us out with people in the last few months and I’ve realized that this is a really good resource for us. As I continue to work with KRAFTON, I realize there are really smart people, and working together with them, it just makes things even better.
As much as I’m an Striking Distance Studios person, I’m also a KRAFTON person. My goal is to try and make something great for both Striking Distance Studios and KRAFTON because they’ve given me this great opportunity to build this studio and make the game that I came up with.
This has been a tough project, but we were able to get it done. And I’m so proud of it.
Could you tell me how did you build your C team when you were starting this studio?
I’ve known Steve for about 25 years. So, I knew it right away when I went after Steve, in our first meeting. I met with Steve in a park and I said plainly, “Hey, I want to work with you once again.” And I brought him into our early meetings for this project.
I’ve known Chris for 25 years, too. When I was planning for this studio, Chris had just moved to Oregon. But when I told him I was about to start a new studio, he told me he’ll just move back!
And then a friend of mine called me and said, “I’ve got a great COO for you.” And I had heard her name, Stacey Hirata. I knew her name because she was already famous in the industry. With only one interview and I knew she was the right person.
And also there’s Mark. I had heard his name and reputation through the years at 2K. So we just went after him without hesitation.
From the days we started this studio, we worked together, talking through all the challenges. I rely on them. I always want to hear all their ideas, thoughts, and feedback. A couple of them on the team are a little more conservative. I’m definitely not conservative. So, like sometimes they will pull me back (Laughs).
In one of your previous interviews, you iterated that one of your jobs is to provide the best environment to create the best games, while enabling the creators to enjoy the process. Could you elaborate on this?
Right. I started as an artist and then I became an art director and a producer. I know how I wanted to be treated. I wanted transparency from my bosses. I wanted them to hear my thoughts. I wanted to be included. I wanted a nice environment to work. So, as the boss of a studio, I want to do the same thing. I want to build an environment that I would be happy to work in myself. And I believe that starts with openess, transparency, and honesty to the team, an open-door policy. If you want to come in and talk, you have that. Making sure that we take care of the little things, so that they don’t have to worry and they can just focus on their work. All they can think of is how can we make a better game?
There are some companies that say to their people like, “Hey, we just want you to finish your job, so just do your job.” But what we say to our people is like, “Give us your best every day.” Because that’s what people want to do. Artists don’t want to sit down and do a lousy piece of art. They want to do the best thing they can. Same thing goes to engineers and designers, too. And that’s what we want out of our developers. So, since the beginning of Striking Distance Studios and this project, we’re trying to build an environment that allows for the creativity, for the openness, for the honesty. And I’m sure people will be happy about it.
I’d like to ask you about the location of this studio. I heard San Ramon is your hometown. Is there any other reason why you chose this town as a location for your new studio?
Oh, absolutely. I didn’t choose San Ramon because it was my hometown. Silicon Valley is very crowded and it’s hard to find homes because they’re very expensive. Over the years, I’ve seen a lot of developers starting to move out here. Because it’s more affordable and there are good schools here.
Yes, it was a gamble. I’ll be honest with you, I was worried because we were aiming at the first triple A studio out here. But then, thankfully, we could find many developers who want to come and work with us. My fears were gone pretty quickly. And we’re involved in the town now. We’re involved with the chamber of commerce here. And they are excited that there was a high tech company moving into the area.
What were the most memorable moments working on this project?
I had a couple of memorable moments. A big one was when we finished making the demo and were able to show it to Sony and Microsoft. Both of them loved it. Another moment that I remember is when we finally got out of the lockdown and were able to move back into the studio. A creative endeavor like this project needs to get people working together.
Do you remember how did you come up with the name of this studio?
I believe it was a conference call with Steve and Chris. And we still didn’t have a name for the studio we were starting. We were asking to ourselves what’s our goal for the overall studio. And I said something like, “I just always want to be within striking distance of greatness. I want us to always be able to make something quality.” And as I told them this, I think it was Steve said, “Hey wait, that’s a good name!” And we all agreed to name our studio as Striking Distance Studios.
What were the biggest lessons that you’ve got while working on this project?
One of the things that I got to know during the process is a new way of working. Because of the pandemic and the lockdown, we have had a lot of people working at home. And we all have to get used to that because it’s the way of our future. We had to work on how do we work even better between people working at home and people working at the studio.
What I’ve learned working with KRAFTON is I can collaborate better with them now, or I can work with them more than I thought. As I started to know the people in KRAFTON as well as their developers, I got to realize how do we make a better game together, how to collaborate more with them, and how to create more synergies with them.
How did you come up with the concept you call Horror Engineering in the first place?
I had put together a list of all the different types of horror. Ghost, demons, brutality, scary and haunted houses, and things like that. And when I started talking with the marketing and public relations teams here, they said, “We can get that down into something more palatable, something that workable.” And so they helped me refine the list, which is just for this game.
In Horror Engineering, we have atmosphere, tension, brutality, humanity, and helplessness. It’s just the way we make the game. We just put a name to this process.
Every single inch of this game has been gone over and over. It’s a labor of love. It is handcrafted. And we used Horror Engineering to help guide us to a good place.
Here’s one of the posters of The Callisto Protocol where the main protagonist Jacob Lee is on his knees, lost in desperation. And that’s one of the images that best expresses what humanity means in Horror Engineering. Could you elaborate on that?
Not only does that piece encompass Horror Engineering, it has the humanity element like, “I’m tired, I’m desperate, I’m isolated.” And there’re the eyes. If you look at Jacob’s eyes in this poster, we purposely have him looking sideway as if he sensed something else is coming. So, it’s a small detail that shows it’s not over. An important message here is that he didn’t just look desperate but he looked ready to go.
Can you name your favorite parts or scenes of The Callisto Protocol?
I’ve got a few. I love the combat. I think we’ve really evolved combat in The Callisto Protocol. So, as a mechanic and as a feature I love combat.
And then, I love the death scenes. When one of our monsters, “Big Mouth,” bites your head off, he just bites only half of it. When that happens, if you actually look closely, the tongue is still in the half of head. I love that detail. I also love when the parasite goes into your body, goes through your mouth into your body and then explodes your face out. I know that sounds brutal. I know that. But I like those scenes.
Lastly, I have to say the cinematics really came out beautiful.
Is there a kind of game that you dream of making one day in the future?
Yes. I don’t know if it’s feasible, but I love making sci-fi. Don’t get me wrong. What I’m doing is perfect. But I always wanted to make a even bigger sci-fi world where I could go to a planet, like in Mass Effect or Star Wars. Instead of having to be located in one place, it has a whole universe in it. I’ve always wanted to do something like that, bigger.
What kind of games do you personally love to play in your free time?
I like action games. Although I haven’t had free time in a while, when we first moved in here, I was still playing a lot of games. I’m looking forward to the Christmas holidays to get back to the games I love. I would play horror games, of course. One of my favorite games of all time is Silent Hill. And my other favorite game is Resident Evil 4. I can’t wait for the remake. I really enjoyed Control, too.
Looking back, I also loved Japanese games when I was playing with my Sega gaming console because I could play co-op. And as much as I like action, I like story, too. I like a game that I can actually finish.
What do you think is your biggest source of inspiration?
I’ve been training myself to be a creative person since I was five, drawing, painting, and all that stuff. I could realize I have to be different to come up with new creative ideas. So, I use everything as inspiration. I read, I research, I watch TV, I play games, I watch movies. I do whatever I can to inspire me.
I also love brainstorming with other people. I mean I love it when somebody else comes up with a new idea. Because part of my job is to say that to my colleagues, “That’s a good idea!” And I love that part. Patted them on the back and say, “Go on. That’s fantastic.” When we can come together and create ideas together, that is other big inspiration for me.
I heard you majored in illustration and started your career in the industry as a background artist and then an art director. How did it affect to the making of this game?
Yeah. I was an illustration major at Pratt Institute in New York City. And back when I started, the artists were the designers as well. So, that’s why I’ve been designing all along the way. But, as far as the art goes, I always hire the best. Once we have all the best artists, we set the tone. We ask them to produce the highest quality they can get. And the other thing we do in the earliest stage is to establish an art bible to show our artists the examples of what we want, to show them the best practices for a high goal.
Do you still draw or paint from time to time?
Yes. It’s funny because I’m obsessed with it. Before the pandemic, I used to paint and draw every single day. I’m looking forward to getting a little time off and getting back into painting because that’s another place where the ideas come. And that helps me with art directing. The more that I can push myself as a painter and as an artist, the better I can be helping our art directors.
What’s your favorite sci-fi movie?
Oh, boy. Sci-fi movies. I’ve seen the Alien movies 40 times over. And Event Horizon, I love it. I got a lot of inspiration out of Event Horizon. There’s no doubt about it. I loved Pitch Black, I loved Serenity. It’s hard for me to pick one. When I watched Pitch Black for the first time, I shouted like, “Wow! This is great!”
What do you want to do in the first weekend after the launch?
To be honest, I know what’s going to happen. I’m going to be glued to the reviews. I’m going to be looking at all the reviews and seeing how we did (Laughs).
But we are going to take some time off. We all have to. And I want to spend a little more time with my family. We already got a Hawaii plan and all that. There are things that we couldn’t have done over the last couple of years due to the pandemic.
And then, I could really use some time to lose a few pounds (Laughs).
Do you have any comment for the horror game fans around the world?
To the horror fans out there. This is a game that has evolved horror in some ways. We’ve pushed things further. It’s in your face. It’s a different kind of horror. But it also is a sandbox type of combat. It’s different than other horror games. I think you’re really going to enjoy it.
I mean this is the game that I wanted to play. And I think that’s always important when you’re making a game. This also has a lot of new things that are happening in movies from the audio to the look, to the brutality in your face.
And again I believe that we have evolved sci-fi horror to an extent. This is a stand-alone game. This is not Dead Space 4. This is The Callisto Protocol. And this is just the beginning of what I hope will be a great franchise for all of you.
The Callisto Protocol will be launched globally on Dec. 2!
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The Callisto Protocol and Striking Distance Studios
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