Summary
- The Callisto Protocol devs were forced to cut content from the game after the publisher demanded an earlier release date than anticipated.
- Despite initially giving Striking Distance full control over the survival horror title, publisher Krafton suddenly enforced a December 2022 release date.
- The pandemic also negatively impacted the game's development, with entire teams sometimes out on sick leave.
The 2022 survival horror game The Callisto Protocol had tons of planned content cut in order to meet a deadline imposed by the publisher, according to the game's director. Supposedly, The Callisto Protocol was meant to launch in early 2023 before publisher Krafton enforced a deadline of December 2022, requiring development time to be cut significantly.
The Callisto Protocol was a highly anticipated survival horror title from Dead Space creator Glen Schofield which was heavily inspired by both that game and the massively successful Resident Evil remakes. Upon release, however, the game was met with lukewarm reviews and a lackluster response from fans, who largely cited the game's lack of replay value and meaningful content as the reason for their disappointment, despite praising its visuals and overall themes.
According to an interview with Schofield from YouTuber Dan Allen Gaming, Krafton initially gave The Callisto Protocol developer Striking Distance an unlimited amount of time to work on the game. This quickly changed, however, when Krafton, known for publishing the battle royale game PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, suddenly insisted on a December 2022 release date, which hugely impacted the game's development process.
The Callisto Protocol's Sudden Release Date Change Came At A Huge Cost
As a result of the sudden change, Striking Distance was forced to cut out a significant amount of content, including four extra bosses and two new enemy types. COVID-19 also impacted the development team at Striking Distance, as according to Schofield, entire departments would sometimes be out sick, leaving behind tons of unfinished work.
Asked whether he would have done anything differently during the development of the game , Schofield stated that he would have been more firm about the game's initial release date to give the team more time to flesh out the content they had originally hoped to include. Nevertheless, Schofield still has ideas for a sequel to the game, and Striking Distance is reportedly at work on an official spinoff to The Callisto Protocol.
While Schofield's attempt at a new IP did not go as planned, his other, more famous creation saw a major comeback in 2023 with the release of the successful Dead Space remake. While discussions about a remake of Dead Space 2 also quickly popped up online, according to developers at Electronic Arts, the company currently has no official plans to revisit the sequel.
The Callisto Protocol
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 67 /100 Critics Rec: 41%
- Released
- December 2, 2022
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Striking Distance Studios
- Publisher(s)
- Krafton
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 4
WHERE TO PLAY
In this narrative-driven, third-person survival horror game set 300 years in the future, the player will take on the role of Jacob Lee – a victim of fate thrown into Black Iron Prison, a maximum-security penitentiary located on Jupiter's moon, Callisto. When inmates begin to transform into monstrous creatures, the prison is thrown into chaos. To survive, Jacob must battle his way to safety to escape Black Iron Prison, while uncovering the dark and disturbing secrets buried beneath the surface of Callisto. Using a unique blend of shooting and close-quarters combat, Jacob will need to adapt his tactics to combat the rapidly evolving creatures while scavenging to unlock new weapons, gear, and abilities to outrun the growing threat and escape the horrors of Jupiter's Dead Moon.
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
- How Long To Beat
- 10 Hours
