Industry veteran Glen Schofield has announced his retirement from day-to-day game development, sharing reflections on his prolific career in a recent interview. Among the topics discussed were a canceled Call of Duty game set in Vietnam, the substantial budgets behind blockbuster titles, and the unexpected origin of the acclaimed horror game Dead Space.
Schofield revealed he spent approximately six months working on a third-person Call of Duty game for Activision during the Vietnam War era. Management, he stated, was "very hesitant" about the project, partly due to lingering sensitivities surrounding the conflict. Developers involved described the game as an "Uncharted-meets-Call of Duty idea," with former Sledgehammer Games boss Michael Condrey recalling it as a "true, gritty, Apocalypse Now take on Vietnam in an interactive way." A 15-minute demo was built, showcasing compelling moments, but the project ultimately did not proceed, though Black Ops Cold War later featured Vietnam War-themed missions.
The conversation also touched upon the often-guarded subject of game budgets. Schofield disclosed that his recent horror title, The Callisto Protocol, carried a budget of around $150 million. He noted that the three Call of Duty titles he contributed to – Modern Warfare 3 (2011), Advanced Warfare (2014), and WWII (2017) – each exceeded $200 million, with some costing "much more."
Schofield recounted the genesis of Dead Space, explaining that EA initially pushed him to develop another James Bond game. Despite prior work on 007: From Russia With Love, Schofield was dissatisfied with the reception and his own experience. After tendering his resignation, he was approached by then-EA president Paul Lee, who sought to retain him. Schofield expressed his desire to create "my own game," pitching the concept that would become Dead Space. Lee initially voiced reservations, stating EA did not typically produce sci-fi horror. However, Schofield ultimately secured approval to develop the game with a hand-picked team, granted creative autonomy.
During the interview, Schofield also addressed his role in Dead Space's creation, asserting his status as its "creator" rather than "co-creator," and expressed frustration over a Wikipedia edit that he felt inaccurately attributed his contribution. He characterized his decision to retire as "the hardest decision of my life," describing his career in game development as a "dream job" and emphasizing his gratitude towards fans, stating, "We’re nothing without the fans."