LogIn"Gameplay comes first is what I learned with The Callisto Protocol."
Striking Distance Studios
Striking Distance Studios’s debut title, The Callisto Protocol, which was released in December of 2022, reportedly failed to meet the sales expectations of the developer and the publisher Krafton. Not surprinsingly, news of the developer laying off 32 employees showed up only eight months after its launch.
Changhan Kim, CEO of the game’s publisher Krafton, shared some insights on why the game had struggles in an interview with Game Developer, blaming the lack of “gameplay edge” as the main course. Admitting that the game boasts stunning visuals and narrative, which are what liked by its fans, Kim emphasizes the importance of unique gameplay to make a game stand out:
"Gameplay comes first is what I learned with The Callisto Protocol. It could be the most high-quality game in the world, but if you don't have a gameplay edge–if you can't differentiate your gameplay from your competitors–it doesn't work out. I was able to reaffirm that."
He continues to illustrate his opinion, saying that even for a single-player narrative game, “you need to be able to offer a good gameplay experience. You can't do that without those elements.”
Other than Kim’s opinion that the lack of a “gameplay edge” could be the main culprit behind the game’s struggle, game director Glen Schofield also discussed this topic earlier. He mentioned that the game could have received more content if Striking Distance Studios had more time, which publisher KRAFTON promised but suddenly changed their mind, resulting in stressful work hours and content cuts.
Striking Distance Studios
In March this year, Striking Distance Studios announced a new project codenamed Birdseye along with its first look trailer. Birdseye is a vibrant, pop-art-inspired top-down action roguelike set in The Callisto Protocol's Black Iron Prison. The project is still in the early development stage, so we don’t have information about its release window or platform yet.
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