The Callisto Protocol is considered to be a flop by its investors, which puts the chances of a sequel in serious doubt.
Announced during The Game Awards in 2020, The Callisto Protocol was quickly considered to be a spiritual successor to Dead Space and garnered a lot of hype. However, that pre-release hype hasn’t been replicated in terms of sales. That’s according to investors.
Krafton investors are less than impressed
Developed by Striking Distance Studios, led by Dead Space co-creator Glen Schofield, The Callisto Protocol was released for PC, PlayStation and Xbox on December 2nd, 2022.
The Callisto Protocol was at least looking the part in its trailers. It had serious Dead Space vibes, it looked visually stunning, featured over-the-top gore and even added Hollywood star power. However, the investors of publisher Krafton are reportedly concerned about the commercial loss of The Callisto Protocol.
According to the Korean website MK-Odyssey (thanks Push Square), the game cost a reported 200 billion won to develop. Which roughly amounts to £132/$162 USD million over a three-year period.
During its launch period, The Callisto Protocol failed to recoup that investment from its sales. This would be considered a major blow for the publisher that labelled the game as an “AAAA” title. No, that’s not a typo. Krafton dubbed the game an AAAA title and not AAA.
As a result of the game falling short of expected sales, investor stock share prices were lowered. Investors hoped that The Callisto Protocol would sell five million copies during its launch period. However, it instead sold two million copies.
Are two million copies really that bad?
To be honest, I feel this story is a case of investors expecting way too much. After all, The Callisto Protocol is a new IP and most would likely consider two million sales during a brief launch period to be quite impressive.
Sure, the game didn’t release in the best state, especially on PC. However, a series of post-launch updates not only fixed bugs but also made various quality-of-life improvements. That being said, perhaps the game being totally banned in Japan due to the developers not wanting to censor it didn’t help either.
We’re not talking about the upcoming Resident Evil 4 remake or the Dead Space remake. The likes of Resident Evil and Dead Space have been around for many years and have a strong, and loyal fanbase. The Callisto Protocol has started from scratch.
It is reported that Krafton intends to claw back sales to meet expectations with a strong push for story-based DLC, as well as cosmetic items. The Callisto Protocol does already have a season pass, and its content is currently unreleased.
The season pass content includes a new story, modes, and cosmetics. So it will be interesting what else Krafton and Striking Distance Studios might come up with alongside the season pass content. That’s assuming its intentions.
Will The Callisto Protocol get a sequel?
At this time, it’s anyone’s guess. Without giving much away, the ending of the game certainly implied that there is more to come, perhaps more than just the season pass DLC.
Was The Callisto Protocol a perfect game? No, it was certainly not without its flaws. However, I believe there is enough foundation to at least develop an improved sequel.
Have you played The Callisto Protocol? If so, what were your overall thoughts on the game? Let us know across our social media channels.
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Featured Image Credit: Striking Distance Studios/Source: Push Square via VGC/ MK-Odyssey