Sales of Krafton and Striking Distance Studios’ survival horror game, The Callisto Protocol, are reportedly in the range of 6 to 7 million copies.
During an interview on The Game Business Show, The Callisto Protocol director Glen Schofield revealed that the game has sold between 6 to 7 million copies worldwide. When asked about the possibility of a sequel, he shed light on the challenges the project faced from the start.
The team at Striking Distance Studios was building a brand-new IP from the ground up with The Callisto Protocol, which required heavy investment. “Maybe if we’re lucky, we’ll break even on the first game,” Schofield recalled telling his peers. However, sales figures indicate that The Callisto Protocol not only recovered its costs but was also significantly profit.
Schofield noted that the development of The Callisto Protocol was tangled up in difficulties. The game was forced to launch in December, 2022, due to corporate pressure tied to the Korean stock market, a decision he now regrets. The rushed release led to a rocky launch, especially on PC, where performance issues led to widespread criticism. To repair the damage, the studio released many patches and multiple rounds of DLC, with Schofield recalling that the studio refused to push out updates unless every department signed off on quality.
Based on what Schofield has heard, the 6 to 7 million copies sold, combined with strong digital download numbers on both PlayStation and Xbox, indicate that The Callisto Protocol ultimately did find an audience.
For the uninitiated, The Callisto Protocol was released on December 2, 2022, for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Windows PC. It was helmed by Glen Schofield, best known as the creator of the Dead Space franchise. Often described as a spiritual successor to the latter, the game carries forward many of the series’ atmospheric and horror-driven elements.
