During The Game Awards Show that took place a few days ago, the world finally got its first look at Glen Schofield‘s upcoming SCI-Fi horror title from his new studio, Striking Distance Studios, The Callisto Protocol. This wasn’t the first time we’ve heard about the game, as it was announced in 2019.
At first glance, I thought we were seeing Dead Space 4. The entire vibe of the trailer screamed Dead Space, from the eerie environment, the holographic health indicator seen on the back of the prisoner’s neck, and finally, the creep as hell aliens. Yep, in my mind, I was like, “this is totally Dead Space.”, and while it wasn’t the case, I’m still excited at what I saw and what Glen Schofield has planned for the game.
Here’s an interview from Ars Technica as they interview Glen Schofield on Dead Space. While it’s a long interview, it’s fascinating and something every Dead Space fan should watch/listen to.
“All I can say is… that my goal and the goal of the team is to make the scariest game on next-gen platforms. So if that’s what you want to play, that’s what we’re bringing,” said Glen Schofield during an IGN interview.
What is The Callisto Protocol?
According to the official documentation, The Callisto Protocol, like dead space is a 3rd personal horror title that takes place in the PUBG universe. I still don’t know how the two are connected, outside of the fact that Krafton is publishing and funding the studio and one of the requirements was to expand the PUBG universe. Originally I was confused as to what could this game possibly do with the battle royal. But now that trailer was released, it’s clear to see that there aren’t any connections, or at least none that I can see. But who knows, perhaps this prison is where all the losers end up going, or maybe the prison is where they get the competitors for PUBG. That’s just speculation on my part, don’t read into it.
We don’t know much yet, but this game is set in 2320, on Jupiter’s moon Callisto. In the trailer, we witness what appears to be an alien invasion taking place in a prison – and it seems the warden or whoever is overseeing this prison is either masterminding this invasion or doesn’t care about the inmates. For a moment, I even thought we were being introduced to the protagonist in the game. Well, that is until he got a face full of alien tongue and whatever else that was, yuck.
It would seem that when Glen approached Krafton, he already had a concept in place for the game – he never gave up on trying to keep the Dead Space dream alive. He’s not alone on this endeavor either, as Steve Papoutsis, who also worked on the Dead Space series, joined Glen at Striking Distance Studios. That’s two of the original Visercal Games crew working on this title. I think it’s safe to say this game is in good hands.
Check out my thoughts on The Callisto Protocol in my reaction video below.
And while everything we’ve seen and I’ve read about seems like this is basically the spiritual successor to Dead Space. Perhaps the evolution of it, the game is still quite a bit away. As of now, the release date is set for sometime in 2022, an entire two years away. So far, we know that the game will be available for the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
While there’s some connection between the PUBG universe and The Callisto Protocol, we don’t know quite what that is. Though, a little birdie told me that we should expect to hear or see something regarding the game. Thankfully, The Callisto Protocol will remain a single-player experience. Meaning that the crew can focus on the things that make for an amazing surivial horror experience and not worry about adding in unneeded nonsense – yes, that was a jab at Dead Space 3.
Either way, one thing is for sure is that I can’t wait for this. I’m a massive Dead Space, and ever since Visceral Studios was closed, I had given up on seeing any more Dead Space anything. I’ll be following every development of The Callisto Protocol here on The Outerhaven for as long as I can. So be sure to stay tuned. This is going to be fun.
Are you a fellow Dead Space fan like myself? Does The Callisto Protocol have you screaming as if you were running from a Necromorph? Then let us know about it in the comments!
