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Glen Schofield Is Making No Compromises in Building a Perfect PUBG Narrative Action Game

This article is over 4 years old and may contain outdated information

Glen Schofieldā€™s new studio, Striking Distance, is making a new game in the same universe as PlayerUnknownā€™s Battlegrounds (PUBG). Theyā€™ve found themselves in an unusual situation, however ā€” theyā€™re allowed to do pretty much whatever they want with the property.

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ā€œItā€™s absolutely freeing,ā€ Schofield said. ā€œEvery once and a while youā€™ve got to pinch yourself to make sure that itā€™s true.ā€

Hereā€™s how it all went down, by Schofieldā€™s account: After leaving Activision, he started looking for places that were a good fit for him ā€” a 28-year industry vet who had managed, directed, and produced games in the Dead Space, Call of Duty, and Legacy of Kain series.

He was eventually approached by PUBG Corporation. They were looking for someone to launch a studio stateside, and Schofield already had experience building a studio from the ground up from creating Activisionā€™s Sledgehammer Games, so he seemed like the right person for the job.

ā€œI had a couple of ideas that I had wanted to do ā€” one in particular,ā€ Schofield said. ā€œSo, I met with PUBG a few times, and they flew me over to South Korea. And then they would come out here and I would meet them. Just all along, I really liked talking with them, and their creative philosophy, and their time philosophy.ā€

He pitched his idea for a game, and PUBG Corporation said yes. Not ā€œYes, butā€¦ā€ or ā€œYes, andā€¦ā€ Just yes. He was given the green light to go build a studio and make that game that he described.

ā€œTheyā€™re not giving any sort of creative feedback, in terms of ā€˜change this and that,ā€™ā€ Schofield said. ā€œYou know, Iā€™ve worked with companies that have been heavy-handed in the past before, and theyā€™re the complete opposite. Theyā€™re like, ā€˜Youā€™re the creative dude. You guys come up with it.ā€™ā€

The game itself is in the early stages of development, so Schofield wasnā€™t keen to share too many details about his vision. But he was willing to share that itā€™s a narratively focused game built in the Unreal engine that takes place in the world of PUBG.

ā€œItā€™s not PUBG. Itā€™s not PUBG 2. Itā€™s our own narrative experience set loosely in the PUBG universe,ā€ he said.

When asked if it was a shooter, he resisted using that description.

ā€œI wouldnā€™t go so far as to call it that, yet,ā€ Schofield said. ā€œLetā€™s just call it more of an action game, because thatā€™s kind of what Iā€™ve worked on over the years, with Dead Space, Call of Duty, and Lord of the Rings ā€” they werenā€™t all 100 percent shooters. They were action games. Thatā€™s where my sweet spot is. Thatā€™s where weā€™re looking to go.ā€

A narrative focus is a major change for a game related to PUBG, which isnā€™t known for its story. Before the release of the Season 4 Cinematic Trailer last year, the entire plot could be summed up as, ā€œYouā€™re someone who has to kill everyone else before they kill you.ā€ That on its own was enough to make it a worldwide phenomenon and kick off the battle royale craze that led to the release of games like Fortnite Battle Royale, Apex Legends, and Call of Duty: Warzone.

Glen Schofield Striking Distance Studios PUBG narrative action game PUBG Corporation Sledgehammer Games Player Unknown's Battlegrounds

But the real challenge is whether PUBG Corporation will be able to take its success and turn it into something longer-lasting than a single runaway hit. From the sound of it, PUBGā€™s taking the idea of a lore-heavy universe and running with it ā€” and Schofieldā€™s game will be just the beginning.

ā€œTheyā€™re creating this big world, like Marvel would do. Weā€™re the first game within it, and weā€™re helping them write the story of their universe,ā€ Schofield said. ā€œSo, weā€™re able to fit ours in exactly where we want it to be. So itā€™s basically a brand new franchise.ā€

With all the freedom that Striking Distance Studios has been given, thereā€™s always the worry that itā€™ll fall victim to scope creep and spiral out of control with ideas and complexity. Schofield, however, is not worried about that happening. Heā€™s been in the industry for a long time, and he knows how long it takes to finish a project ā€” and how to make sure it gets completed on a reasonable schedule.

ā€œWeā€™re giving ourselves a deadline, and weā€™re working towards it,ā€ Schofield said. ā€œItā€™s a very professional team thatā€™s not taking advantage of the situation at all. We want to get the game done and get it out at some point.ā€

Of course, they wonā€™t tell me that deadline ā€” itā€™s too soon to actually commit to anything publicly, especially now that everyone at the studio is having to work from home because of COVID-19.

Glen Schofield Striking Distance Studios PUBG narrative action game PUBG Corporation Sledgehammer Games Player Unknown's Battlegrounds

ā€œIā€™ve been through a lot, but this is crazy,ā€ Schofield said. ā€œIā€™ve had people work from home, but not when youā€™ve got 100 percent of the studio working from home. Weā€™ve got help from around the world, and everybody else there is working from home. Itā€™s crazy.ā€

The studioā€™s not even finished hiring, in fact. Theyā€™re looking to bring on another 50 people, which is a bit challenging when nobodyā€™s allowed to leave the house.

ā€œWeā€™re trying to do interviews via Zoom and all that, but anybody that wants to relocate or move, theyā€™ve kind of put that on hold for now,ā€ said Schofield. ā€œBut we want to get the word out that weā€™re hiring like crazy. Weā€™re hiring through this. We actually did hire three people last week.ā€

But even with these obstacles, Schofield says theyā€™re moving forward and making deadlines while maintaining a freedom that Schofield says still feels unreal.

ā€œIt’s exactly what I want to play,ā€ he said. ā€œThey let me build the studio the way I want to make it, and theyā€™re letting me make the game I want to make. I came in with an idea, and they approved it, and thatā€™s what weā€™re making. Itā€™s exactly what I want to do.ā€


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Phillip Moyer
Phillip Moyer works at the local news station KSNV-TV, but that's boring, so he also writes about video games whenever he can. His work has also appeared in EGM, TouchArcade, TheGamer, and other outlets.