adminAAA game development faces rising costs, studio layoffs and questions about how large games can remain sustainable. Glen Schofield, the veteran developer behind Dead Space and The Callisto Protocol, argues that the answer is not simply to make games with fewer people or rely on new technology. He believes success depends on capable teams, creative decision-making and thoughtful release planning.
Image credit: Krafton
AAA game development needs the right people
Schofield rejects the idea that blockbuster games are the central problem facing the industry. He notes that large development teams have often helped introduce new consoles and hardware capabilities to players. Creating for unfamiliar technology takes time and expertise; a new platform does not arrive with a ready-made guide to making great games for it.
His career spans work at THQ, Absolute Entertainment and Crystal Dynamics, where he directed games in the Gex and Legacy of Kain series. At EA Redwood Studios, he created Dead Space, which became a cult favorite and helped lead to the studio’s transformation into Visceral Games. He later co-founded Sledgehammer Games and worked on Call of Duty, including co-directing Modern Warfare 3.
In 2019, Schofield joined Krafton to lead Striking Distance Studios and develop The Callisto Protocol, a spiritual successor to Dead Space. The game was made amid the COVID-19 pandemic, did not meet Krafton’s sales expectations, and was followed by studio layoffs. Schofield left the company the following year.
He connects today’s industry difficulties partly to the rapid investment boom during the pandemic. With more money flowing into games, studios sometimes placed people in senior creative or management roles before they had enough experience for those responsibilities. His practical recommendation is to match roles to demonstrated strengths: creative leaders need space to shape the game, while experienced managers handle business and operational work.
Image credit: EA
Why team size depends on the game
Schofield is cautious about claims that AAA games can routinely be produced by very small teams. He describes working on Call of Duty projects with three substantial components: single-player, multiplayer and Zombies. At one point, more than 100 people worked on each of the single-player and multiplayer portions, while about 50 worked on Zombies.
Those numbers reflect the scope and technical demands of those particular games, rather than a universal staffing formula. For studios planning a project, the useful lesson is to size teams around the features, platforms and quality goals involved—not to assume that one headcount fits every production.
Using AI in AAA game development
Schofield does not expect current AI tools to replace the detailed human judgment involved in building a polished game. Small adjustments to art, animation, camera placement and code can require repeated review. That level of specificity, he argues, makes it difficult to assume that a small team can produce a complete AAA title simply by adding AI.
However, he supports artists learning to use AI tools and has used the generative image program Midjourney. He compares resistance to AI with earlier concerns about performance capture and motion capture. His view is that developers should understand new tools, while recognizing that adoption does not automatically make production cheaper or eliminate creative work.
AI may help teams create characters, improve animation workflows or explore ideas more quickly. But studios also need to consider integration, subscriptions, implementation specialists and the possibility that tools will be costly. A practical approach is to assess whether a tool improves a specific part of production before building an entire workflow around it.
Schofield’s central point is that efficiency should support creativity, rather than become the only measure of a tool’s value.
He expects faster workflows could lead teams to add more detail and content rather than simply finish earlier. For that reason, studios should set clear creative goals alongside cost targets when evaluating AI.
Image credit: Activision
Release timing can affect a game’s chances
Schofield also highlights the crowded release calendar as a risk for publishers. When several major games launch close together, they compete for players’ time and spending. He points to the industry’s tendency to avoid release windows around major titles, including Grand Theft Auto 6, and notes that Call of Duty releases also influence competitors’ schedules.
He suggests that early October and parts of the summer could offer alternatives to the busiest holiday period. Spreading launches more evenly may give more games room to find an audience. For publishers, release planning should account for competing titles, marketing capacity and the audience’s available time—not just the potential sales of a single peak season.
Conclusion: creativity is essential to AAA game development
Schofield’s perspective is that a successful game depends on many factors coming together: a compelling story, a talented and appropriately experienced team, supportive leadership, effective marketing and a publisher willing to back the project. Technology can assist, but it cannot replace sound creative judgment or careful planning.
For AAA game development, the most useful takeaway is to put experienced people in roles suited to their abilities, evaluate AI tools for real production value and avoid overcrowded release dates where possible. As Schofield puts it, creativity should be part of the work throughout development—not an afterthought behind budgets and efficiency.
