The Callisto Protocol is not expected to meet its target goal which is now casting doubts about a sequel game getting made. A report on M-K-Odyssey (via DSOG) shows that its publisher, Krafton, paid Striking Distance Studios $162 million over the course of three years to develop the action-horror space game. Samsung Securities said in a report that “The company expected cumulative sales of 5 million copies, but considering the current sales ranking, cumulative sales of 2 million copies will not be easy until this year.”
The Callisto Protocol had a rocky start and was nicknamed The Stuttering Protocol when it launched with massive stuttering due to caching issues. Many stuttering issues were resolved by a quick round of updates shortly after release but the game was still considered poorly optimized for PC. The game also received criticism over the developer’s decision to lock about a dozen death animations behind a season pass but Striking Distance Studios CEO Glen A. Schofield did say this was because they were still in development and planned as additions to the game.
It is not impossible that another game could be made, and perhaps this game could gain more sales through discounts and other promotional strategies, but even if this one surpasses the 2 million units sold mark that is still under half of what was expected. It currently has a mixed rating on Steam with over 20,000 user reviews. While many do give it praise for its visual and audio aspects there remain many criticisms of gameplay and technical issues. Steam has discounted the game by 20% to $47.99 for the base version, and $63.99 for the deluxe, until January 19. However, that discount might not be enough to incentivize potential buyers since the Dead Space Remake will launch a week later on January 27 and they may prefer to wait it out for that game instead.