Glen Schofield: Dead Space Wouldn’t Be Greenlit Today—Publishers Are Afraid to Take Risks

We sat down with Glen Schofield—creator of Dead Space and The Callisto Protocol—during the Game Developers Session (GDS) in Prague to discuss the evolution of the game industry, the current challenges of AAA development, and why it's become so hard to get original ideas off the ground in today’s risk-averse environment.

You’re often praised for your ability to create intense, immersive horror experiences. What’s the first thing you consider when designing a game that’s meant to terrify players?

I look for a situation. I should say — I look for something that would scare me first. Whether it's a planet or a prison or a derelict spaceship, I ask: What would be scary? For example, in The Callisto Protocol, I put the setting in a prison because hell, that would be scary as heck for me — I don't want to go to prison. So I thought: What are some of the scariest prisons I’ve heard about? Or a derelict spaceship. Stuff like that. So I look for a setting that's already scary, and then I build from there — depending on what the idea is. But that part is very important.

Looking back on Dead Space, what do you feel was the key to its success, and how has that influenced your approach to game design today?

Dead Space came at a very interesting time. We’d already been making 3D games for ten years or so. And many of the ideas we used in Dead Space — things like the diegetic UI on the protagonist’s back, no HUD, dismemberment — these were crazy back then, but now they’re kind of normal. It was a time when we could come up with wild new ideas. These days, it’s harder. You say, “Hey, we’re gonna have a knife come out of his head!” and people say, “That’s been done.” So you really have to get creative nowadays.

And EA at that time wasn’t known for greenlighting projects like that.

Not at all.

So how did you persuade them to greenlight Dead Space?

They were happy with the work I had done over the years, especially on James Bond — I think it sold around six million units. They liked me. And they didn’t want me to leave. I was about to walk out with no job, just a promise. So they were motivated to keep me.

It wasn’t easy — it was a sci-fi horror game! I remember telling Paul Lee what it was going to be, and I thought I heard him fall off his chair. But I pitched it, and after a couple of days, that was it.

With The Callisto Protocol, how did you ensure it stood out as a unique experience while still appealing to fans of Dead Space?

Honestly, I wasn’t sure Dead Space fans would like it. I just knew there were a lot more horror fans than those who had played Dead Space. So I aimed to make a game that was in your face — more like American horror at that time, like Rob Zombie films. Not slow-burn scares or shooting from a distance like in Dead Space, but something up close, raw, and brutal. That’s what I wanted: to try something that matched what horror is today — more graphic, more direct.

What were the original plans for the PUBG connection in The Callisto Protocol, and what led to the decision to ultimately drop that connection?

When I started working on the game, the CEO came to me with this plan to have all of Krafton’s games exist in the PUBG timeline. I said, “Okay, sure,” but told him, “We’re 300 years after PUBG, and we’ve got monsters…”

They were still trying to make it fit. But truthfully, I just focused on making the game. Eventually, I told him, “Dude, this is not PUBG. We can’t put this in that world.” And to his credit, he was very accommodating. I don’t think they ever pursued that shared-universe idea further.

Having worked on many games over the years, from Dead Space to The Callisto Protocol and beyond, how have you seen the gaming industry evolve in terms of technology, player expectations, and storytelling?

Oh, it’s changed massively. In the first 15 years, no one cared about storytelling. You made the game first, then wrote the story later. We started doing more story-focused work at Crystal Dynamics — with Blood Omen and others — and that started to shift.

For me, a good story pulls me through the game.

Graphics have advanced like crazy. Today, things look nearly real. Of course, it’s fake — but still, they look real. And every game brings new tech. I’ve seen it go from early 3D to mocap, to photogrammetry — where teams go out and scan real bark, real rocks. There’s always some new tech. It’s just been accelerating for years.

It’s interesting that as graphics get more realistic, more games go for stylized visuals.

Yes — because stylized sets you apart. And people often say, “Realism is more expensive to do.” I say: bullshit.

Everyone coming out of school is trained in realism. They know how to do it. Here’s a brick. Here’s a face. Here’s some lighting — they can do that. But stylized? That’s hard.

If you’ve got a team of 10, 12, 20 artists and ask them to paint like Van Gogh — they won’t all get it right. It’s hard to stylize consistently. That’s why I think we should train the next generation differently. Get them excited about creating unique styles.

As someone who’s worked on AAA games for years, what do you think the industry needs to do to better balance creative freedom with commercial success?

Great question. I've never gone after money or leadership. My personality leans more toward leadership than most artists — but I just wanted creative autonomy.

I'd walk into meetings with execs — the most technical guy would make sure everyone knew he was the most technical guy. I’d walk in knowing I was the most creative guy in the room. But still, everyone throws ideas at you.

So at some point I said: I need to run my own studio, my own team. I need to be in charge of the creative. That’s all I ever wanted — because I love this work.

Do you think companies today still allow that kind of creative freedom, given the recession and risk-averse publishers?

Dude, you nailed it. That is exactly the problem. The issue isn’t the developers — it’s the executives.

And I’m one of them too! I’ve been a CEO for over 20 years.

During COVID, the industry was booming. Investors and executives were throwing money at studios, sometimes giving huge budgets to someone who was just a lead designer. They handed out studios and games like candy.

Look — they gave Jade Raymond’s studio $200 million. We’ll see how that turns out. I hope it works, I really do. But there were many failures because people got games or studios they weren’t ready for. There was a frenzy to invest. Some investors don’t want to own studios, their job is just to invest in them, but they own the studios now.

Now, post-COVID, the mood’s changed. Investors say: “We only want $10 million games.” Maybe smaller. But they don’t get to tell us. The fans tell us what they want.

And fans still want big games. Not just GaaS. Not just indie titles. They want bigger games, too. Maybe not $100 million ones — I’ve found ways to reduce budgets — but we need the full spectrum. Don't let the pressure break you.

How do you keep yourself creatively motivated after decades in the industry?

I just have ideas — all the time. I don’t know why.

Someone once said there are two types of creatives: the ones who are good in one discipline, and the hyper-creative ones who can’t turn it off. And I can’t turn it off. I think about games 24/7.

Is there a game, outside of your own projects, that you wish you had worked on or that you find particularly inspiring?

I picked Call of Duty on purpose — that was nothing random about me working on Call of Duty. I went after it, I wanted to work on that game at that time.

Right now, if I could work on any IP, it’d be either Mad Max: Fury Road or Alien. Because those worlds don’t have a ton of rules — I could make up my own stuff.

Last question — what’s next for you?

I don’t know yet. I’m working on a couple of things. I’ve been painting — I had a big art show, so I spent the last year focused on that. I’ve also been pitching. We’ll see.