When The Callisto Protocol was finally released back in December 2022, it was met with a mixed reception. While the game had amazing graphics, animations, and overall fidelity that was represented thanks to its budget, it was quite lacking in gameplay and narrative, on top of plenty of bugs and glitches.
This survival horror title from Striking Distance Studios had high expectations leading up to its release. However, the final product fell short of its potential, and new revelations suggest that the challenges faced were not solely the responsibility of the game director, Glen Schofield.
Development Challenges and Publisher Pressures for The Callisto Protocol
Speaking with Dan Allen Gaming via his podcast on Youtube, Glen Schofield shared that the initial development of The Callisto Protocol faced significant issues, which weren’t due to the team’s efforts or lack thereof, but rather the time constraints.
Schofield, who also worked on the Dead Space series which The Callisto Protocol was also a spiritual successor to, has shed light on several critical issues that impacted the game’s development. He shared:
I wanted about three and a half more months [to work on the game], and I was led to believe for about three or four months that that was the way it was going to be. So, in October or September of 2021, I was told, ‘you’re going to get the time, just no regrets’ – that was the term that kept being used. No regrets – just put whatever you want into the game.
He continued:
And so I spent that Christmas vacation just designing, coming up with ideas with some of the other guys, and [then] January comes around and some of the [Krafton] folks come over and they just said, ‘no, no, no, it’s December of 2022.’
Originally, Striking Distance Studios had the creative freedom to develop the game as they saw fit and release it when it was ready. Schofield reveals that this decision came unexpectedly, forcing the team to compress their development timeline, crunch hard, and cut a lot of features including boss fights and enemy types.
Covid and Post-Release Issues
Scholfield also revealed that in addition to the time constraints imposed by Krafton, Schofield highlights how the COVID-19 pandemic and a wave of resignations further negatively affected development. The pandemic led to frequent absences among team members due to sickness, which significantly reduced progress.
Upon release, The Callisto Protocol was criticized for various issues, some of which Schofield attributed to the rushed development. Schofield was disappointed over needing to cut content, such as four planned bosses and two enemy types, which could have enhanced the game’s experience, or at least added some much-needed enemy variety.
He had thought of a sequel that would introduce new characters and storylines, including a twist where the protagonist from the original game, Jacob Lee, would make a surprising return.
Schofield’s plans also included various story scenarios, such as having a new lead character who would be replaced by Jacob halfway through the game. However, it’s unlikely that this will happen given the layoffs at the studio, as well as the game not being as profitable. A sequel is off the table for now.
Did you still enjoy The Callisto Protocol despite its issues? Let us know in the comments.
