Summary
The 2022 survival horror gameThe Callisto Protocolhad tons of planned content cut in order to meet a deadline imposed by the publisher, according to the game’s director. Supposedly,The Callisto Protocolwas meant to launch in early 2023 before publisher Krafton enforced a deadline of December 2022, requiring development time to be cut significantly.
The Callisto Protocolwas a highly anticipated survival horror title fromDead Spacecreator Glen Schofield which was heavily inspired by both that game andthe massively successfulResident Evilremakes. 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 gaveThe Callisto Protocoldeveloper Striking Distance an unlimited amount of time to work on the game. This quickly changed, however, when Krafton, known for publishingthe battle royale gamePlayerUnknown’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, andStriking Distance is reportedly at work on an official spinoff toThe 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 ofthe successfulDead Spaceremake. While discussions about a remake ofDead Space 2also quickly popped up online, according to developers at Electronic Arts, the company currently has no official plans to revisit the sequel.
The Callisto Protocol
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.
