Publisher Krafton confirmed that 32 employees of Striking Distance, the developer of The Callisto Protocol, have been let go.
Speaking to IGN, it expressed its regret over losing almost a fifth of its total team as a result of “strategic changes that realign the studio’s priorities”. While this is a “difficult moment” for Striking Distance, those affected were offered “outplacement services and meaningful severance packages” as compensations for their “invaluable contributions”.
The statement was provided to the publication following the discovery of social media posts from former Striking Distance developers speaking about their situation.
Des licenciements chez Striking Distance Studios (@sd_studios ), 1 mois après la sortie du dernier DLC de The Callisto Protocol. pic.twitter.com/8sXaHnH7Hp
— FdeSousse Officiel 🟨 (@Taleboules) August 1, 2023
Drawing from Dead Space was a poisoned chalice for The Callisto Protocol, as it got predominantly positive reviews, but there wasn’t enough to distinguish it from other games in the genre.
In NME‘s three-star review, praise was awarded to the game’s gruesome realism but the combat and traversal consistently missed the mark. “The Callisto Protocol is less Event Horizon or Aliens and more Alien Resurrection: janky, action-packed and, well, fun,” said Jake Tucker.
Moreover, The Callisto Protocol was a disappointment for Striking Distance and Krafton. Approximately £129.8million ($161.6 million) was spent over a three year development trajectory, however, the publisher had to recast its commercial expectations earlier this year.
The sci-fi horror failed to sell five million copies between its release in December 2022 and its publisher’s announcement in January 2023. So, Krafton recalibrated and aimed for two million copies sold with anticipation from players for the new narrative downloadable content (DLC) and other post-launch extras.
Yet, as PC Gamer pointed out, The Callisto Protocol: Final Transmission DLC has received a lukewarm welcome from fans, with one saying that it “seems as if the developers have given up.”
In other gaming news, Bungie set its sights on 50 Destiny 2 cheat manufacturers and traders, accusing them of copyright infringement, breach of contract, civil conspiracy and more.