As you may or may not have heard by now, Glen Schofield and Michael Condrey, the former general manager and former COO of Visceral Games, respectively, recently left Electronic Arts to join the Activision Blizzard ranks. Visceral was responsible for the exceptional Dead Space, with Schofield serving as executive producer.

At first I was a bit disappointed by the news. Electronic Arts has done a tremendous job repairing its formerly tattered image, while Activision Blizzard has seemed eager to embrace the role of industry super villain. It was kind of like Schofield and Condrey had switched sides in the battle between good and evil. However, I quickly realized that the industry is a business, and that each individual has to look out for his/her best interests. If the former Visceral execs received better deals or promotions from Activision Blizzard, then more power to them.

I had hoped that the Guitar Hero publisher would become a bit more adventurous after adding Schofield and Condrey, but that doesn’t appear to be the case. According to an Activision Blizzard e-mail received by VG247, the two “will lead the studio which will be creating a new game based on one of Activision’s existing franchises.” Completely unsurprising, considering the company’s focus on profitable sequels. It’s still disappointing to read though. Schofield played a significant role in the development and release of Dead Space, and it appears that he will be – at least for now – asked to milk an existing franchise for Activision Blizzard.

Of course, I could be jumping the gun. I don’t see why Activision Blizzard would hire an industry veteran like Schofield, only to restrict his creativity. Same goes for Condrey. Perhaps the two will be working on a riveting, premium IP. Then again, maybe not. We shall have to wait and see.

Source: VG247 via Gamasutra

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