The Callisto Protocol - What We Know So Far

Plenty of news came out of the 2020 Game Awards, including the announcements of some exciting upcoming games, and The Callisto Protocol is one of them. With developer Striking Distance Studios — headed by Glen Schofield of Dead Space and Call of Duty fame — behind it, this "blend of horror, action, and immersive storytelling" is going to be one to watch.

Based on what gamers have seen so far, The Callisto Protocol looks like it's taking a lot of cues from Dead Space. However, Striking Distance Studios is a subsidiary of South Korea's Krafton — and another Krafton company, PUBG Corporation, has confirmed that this title is actually part of the PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds "narrative experience." While it's unclear how this sci-fi horror survival game might be related to the popular PUBG battle royale, it's sure going to be interesting finding out. 

Here's what we know about The Callisto Protocol for now.

Striking Distance Studios and Krafton have shared that The Callisto Protocol will arrive in 2022. Unfortunately, that's a pretty vague time frame and it means it'll be more than a year before fans get their hands on the next horror game from the creator of Dead Space. 

Still, it's something gamers can look forward to as this new console generation starts to take off. By then, Microsoft and Sony will have presumably worked out the kinks for both the technological and supply issues for the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5, and Striking Distance Studios will be able to produce a game that shows what next-generation systems can really do. 

According to Schofield, who expanded on the trailer that debuted during The Game Awards 2020, the title has been in development for a year and a half with a crew of more than 100 people working on it. 

The launch trailer for The Callisto Protocol is more atmospheric than informational, although there are some facts prospective players can glean from the dark and brooding tones within. 

The setting is the maximum security Black Iron Prison, located on Callisto, one of Jupiter's moons, in the year 2320. Viewers can see that something pretty terrible is happening there — there's a scary monster that looks to be mutated, infected, or both — and malfunctions appear to be happening everywhere. The main character of the trailer, watched by a shadowy figure over security cameras, does not seem to survive. But, fortunately (or unfortunately) a transport ship is about to arrive. 

Commenters on YouTube have been quick to point out the title's similarities to story-driven single-player third-person horror title Dead Space. They have also noticed actual Dead Space references in the trailer, including wall writing that seems to be from characters Isaac Clarke and John Carver. They're calling The Callisto Protocol the "spiritual successor" to the Electronic Arts-published franchise and a stand-in for Dead Space 4. At this early stage, that's hard to argue against.

The Callisto Protocol is coming to PCs and consoles. The official website described it as a "next-generation take on survival horror," which points to a launch on the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X as the consoles enter their prime. It's unclear whether the previous generation will get their own versions.

PUBG is available not just on consoles and PC, but through cloud-based service Google Stadia and on iOS and Android mobile devices. Since this game is part of the same universe and from the same company, it'll be interesting to see if Striking Distance Studios uses the same launch strategy and decides to release for those platforms as well. 

Players will have to wait for a future date for actual confirmation on release platforms — but this is really just one of many details fans will want to know about The Callisto Protocol going forward.