VGTimes interview with Dead Space creator Glen Schofield about inspiration, horror game development, and the Press F to Pay Respect meme

At gamescom asia, VGTimes editor-in-chief Rodion Ilin had the chance to speak with Glen Schofield. This developer is known as the development director of the original Dead Space and The Callisto Protocol, as well as Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare and Modern Warfare 3.

Rodion Ilin (VGTimes): How do you feel when someone discusses your projects or games you personally contributed to? Does it make you feel proud?

Glen Schofield: Of course. I don't rush to tell everyone, "Oh, I made that!" I try to listen. Player opinions are always useful for us as developers.

Rodion Ilin (VGTimes): Do you feel like a rock star among developers?

Glen Schofield: No. I've been giving press interviews for years, but you know, I've never really looked at it that way. We just make one game, take a break, and then move on to the next. My friends and other industry people sometimes call me an icon. But I feel like an old civil servant.

Rodion Ilin (VGTimes): Do your neighbors know you're a game developer?

Glen Schofield: No, they don't.

Rodion Ilin (VGTimes): How many people work at your company now?

Glen Schofield: One, and that's me. I wanted to take a little break. My last game came out in 2022 (The Callisto Protocol — VGTimes), after which we released patches and DLC, and then I resigned. There were many reasons for this, the main one being my health. We had to work during the COVID-19 pandemic, and that put a lot of stress on me. One day we're still going to the office, and the next, everyone's at home. It seems like no big deal; everyone loves spending time at home. But that's just the beginning. We sent out equipment to the employees. We didn't have any devkits, so we had to make do. And then I started having problems with my shoulder and knee. I stopped working out because the gym was closed. My weight dropped by 102 pounds. It feels like all of this happened a long time ago. And I need to get in shape before starting work on the new game. It's kind of like becoming powerful. You need to be in shape. It's the right feeling.

Rodion Ilin (VGTimes): People will say you're just working on a computer. But at the same time, you also want to be strong.

Glen Schofield: It's not just working on a computer. We visit booths, travel to events, and various places. I barely have time.

Rodion Ilin (VGTimes): Who do you respect among game developers?

Glen Schofield: There are many. For example, Evan Wells, former co-president of Naughty Dog. He was my lead designer on Gex 25 years ago, and I always considered him a brilliant personality. Also, Chris Stone, who was my creative director for many years, but now, as I understand, he develops games on his own. There really are many. I've worked with Will Wright and the guys at EA. I respect many of them.

Rodion Ilin (VGTimes): What do you think of E3 in Los Angeles? It's safe to say the expo is dead now. Is that a problem for developers? Do you think it's worth reviving the event to achieve something like E3?

Glen Schofield: Didn't you hear my talk yesterday? I brought this up. In my opinion, E3 should be brought back; the show is very important. The decision to cancel it upset me; I think it was stupid. It was made because of the cost, but no one asked my opinion or that of other industry figures. E3 made our games better, E3 pushed the entire media industry forward. As developers, we helped each other – we went to the show, looked at new technologies and other interesting things. Then we came home and made changes to our games. Not only did our projects improve, but so did the people who attended E3. But holding it isn't profitable, so the decision was made to close the show.

Rodion Ilin (VGTimes): I miss E3. It was like a second New Year's Eve in the middle of the year. But we're moving on.

Rodion Ilin (VGTimes): Dead Space is a personal game for me. My review of it was my first attempt at writing an article. It wasn't published; I'd call it a bad article. However, I started working in games journalism. So thank you for Dead Space!

Glen Schofield: You're welcome! Thanks for playing it!

Rodion Ilin (VGTimes): How did the Dead Space universe come about?

Glen Schofield: It's a long story. I'd just finished a James Bond game (referring to 2005's 007: From Russia with Love — VGTimes), and EA wanted me to work on another 007 project. But within six weeks of its release, ten people had left. I said I couldn't make a new game, but management insisted. Then I announced my desire to leave the company, as I was ready to work on the projects I wanted. I had two weeks left at EA when a new CEO took over.The CEO. On my last day, he called, and we met in my car. They asked me what the company could do to make me stay. He thought it was about money. But I told him I wanted to make my own game. This surprised him. We had never made a sci-fi game before. They objected, saying the company didn't do that kind of thing, but I reminded him he was the CEO. "You're right!" he replied, and we struck a deal and signed a contract. I got a team of eighteen people (referring to Visceral Games — VGTimes), and work on the game began. Great guy! About halfway through development, John Riccitiello became the new head of EA Games. I'm glad he's back in the game.

Rodion Ilin (VGTimes): Dead Space has its own religious cult, known as Unitology. What was your source of inspiration? Perhaps something from reality?

Glen Schofield: No, I told that story yesterday too. By that point, we'd been developing the game for eight months and felt like something was missing. Everyone was enjoying it, but it felt like we were missing a crucial detail. I started thinking about what exactly that was. And then it became clear—we needed to add religion. It took me a couple of weeks to write an article with a detailed description. It described how scientists were trying to extract something important from dinosaurs. And then the thought occurred to me: what if it were a stone? An obelisk. A marker. And I realized that's it! Scientists want to extract valuable data from stones, and other people believe they're looking at something divine. Or that the creator of these obelisks is their God. Of course, others will think they're crazy. But that's faith. And it leaves no doubt. People loved the idea, and Unitology became a big part of the game.

Rodion Ilin (VGTimes): People are turning into necromorphs because of an infection. Does it spread through viruses, parasites, or bacteria?

Glen Schofield: It burst from the obelisk markers like a virus. But thanks to the powerful force hidden within these stones, the infection spreads like spores.

Rodion Ilin (VGTimes): Can animals be infected?

Glen Schofield: I don't know. I like how it's played out in Resident Evil when I see the animals from that series. Looking at a little mouse, I think, yes, infection is possible. But the game takes place on a spaceship, so it could be a cat.

Rodion Ilin (VGTimes): In what horror universe could Isaac Clarke, the protagonist of the Dead Space series, end his journey? Resident Evil, Evil Within, maybe Silent Hill? Which world would be too dangerous for him?

Glen Schofield: I don't think he'd be comfortable in the forest. Isaac has a spacesuit and heavy tools that double as weapons. They need to be recharged somewhere. So he'll be uncomfortable among trees or in other outdoor environments (apparently, outside the spaceship – VGTimes). But to me, he's still a superhero.

Rodion Ilin (VGTimes): Are there any special psychological characteristics of horror games? Is creating these kinds of games different from working with other genres? Are there any unique features, or are the mechanics roughly the same?

Glen Schofield: Let's say you have a game like Call of Duty. In it, you run and gun. But if the action is meant to be scary, it completely changes everything, from your steps to the weapon you use. Psychologically, there are no rules for how to scare you. At least for me. I try to create things that will surprise you. But occasionally, we show you what you expect. And the surprise is that the player expects a catch, but there isn't one. And there are many ways to scare. It's important not to repeat yourself. This is similar to jokes — you can't try to evoke horror in a way that's already been used. I've reviewed hundreds of ways to create fear, including some pretty terrifying ones, and learned to do it myself.

Rodion Ilin (VGTimes): The Press F to pay respect meme from Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is actively used online. Can you imagine the modern internet without it?

Glen Schofield: It's funny, because I remember vividly how we decided to add this moment to the game. We were actively discussing and implementing various ideas, and the creative director came to me and said, "Let's suggest pressing a separate key to show respect." And I replied, "Sounds good, Bret!". But back then, we didn't know where it would lead.

Rodion Ilin (VGTimes): Is it that simple? And you approved it?

Glen Schofield: Yes, I did. We didn't have much time to make something interactive, so I thought, yes, we could add this scene.

Rodion Ilin (VGTimes): Thank you very much for the interview!

Glen Schofield: Thank you!

On behalf of VGTimes, we wish Glen Schofield great success with his new projects. Some quite deservedly call Glen an icon. Without him, the industry we all love would be a little different. And even though The Callisto Protocol didn't become a hit on the level of Dead Space, we are confident that Schofield will still bring the heat in his future games.

Interview conducted by Rodion Ilin.

VGTimes has been operating since 2011 and during this time has attended dozens of exhibitions and festivals where our journalists gathered numerous exclusive materials. For example, at the year 2025 we saw with our own eyes one of Asia's major gaming exhibitions — ChinaJoy in Shanghai.