Dead Space creator Glen Schofield calls EA & Activision’s post‑acquisition era “bittersweet”
Glen Schofield has been on a roll with insights that are making waves in the video game industry of late. Known as the founder of Sledgehammer Games and Striking Distance Studios, Schofield opened up a can of worms when he detailed the “bittersweet” transformation of video game publishing juggernauts, Electronic Arts and Activision.
Schofield spearheaded Dead Space at EA in 2008 and worked on its spiritual successor, The Callisto Protocol, before departing from Striking Distance earlier in 2023. In the LinkedIn post, he looked back on his decade-long tenure at both companies during their heydays.
After the word came out about EA’s pivot into private ownership by Saudi Arabia’s PIF, Silver Lake, and Affinity Partners in a $55 billion deal, similar to Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard Acquisition, Schofield finally chimed in on the conversation on LinkedIn.
Schofield drew parallels between the two companies and said, “In the span of just a few years, the two publishing giants who shaped the last 20+ years of our industry have both entered new eras.”
Schofield expressed emotional turmoil, reflecting on his career at both studios, adding:
I spent roughly a decade at each company, right in their primes. Watching them fade from their roles as dominant publishers and powerhouse training grounds hits harder than I expected.
It’s not without reason that Schofield viewed EA and Activision as crucibles for talent. He further detailed:
EA was buttoned-up, disciplined, and structured in a way that forced you to rise to the level of the room. Franchise reviews were intense, no shortcuts, no guessing.
You had to know every inch of your game. And they’d challenge you, push you, test you. But when you walked out of that meeting, you knew exactly where you stood.
Activision was a different playing field, he said, stating it was:
Where review meetings were loud, passionate, borderline chaotic, with people calling out questions over one another. However, the questions were sharp, focused, and always aimed at making the game better.
A one-hour meeting becoming two and a half was normal, and somehow, the time felt well spent.
Schofield went down nostalgia lane, stating that both companies honed and bred a new generation of developers, but that time seems short-lived in light of recent acquisitions.
He concluded the interview, stating:
It’s tough to watch these companies step back from what they once were: major publishers, major developers, and incredible places to grow, learn, and sharpen your craft. They trained generations of us. Mine included.
His comments come at a time when the industry as a whole is reeling from a series of layoffs as AI becomes a more prominent feature in titles, and game publishers and developers alike continue to chase profitability amid rising costs and increased competition. They provide unique insight into how developers view two of the most iconic game publishers in the industry, even amid continued volatility.
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