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- Callisto Protocol director said that the game has sold around 7 million copies.
- However, the publisher Krafton didn’t even estimate 2 million sales within the first year of its release.
- Callisto Protocol was a letdown in the publisher’s eyes, with the studio Striking Distance having faced layoffs earlier this year.
Made by the creator of Dead Space and regarded as its spiritual successor, Callisto Protocol failed to live up to his earlier work.
The game’s publisher, Krafton, also considered it a huge letdown, as it missed its 5 million sales mark. Following this claimed failure, Krafton laid off most of the Striking Distance team, the studio behind the game.
Interestingly, Glen Schoefield, the director behind the game, had other claims. According to him, Callisto Protocol sold around 7 million copies, which is more than three times the amount of sales that Krafton had previously expected.
Why it matters: There’s a huge disparity in the sales figures reported by the director and Krafton themselves. If a game is still considered a failure even after 7 million sales, then the industry is ruined.
Glen Schoefield recently discussed Callisto Protocol in a podcast with The Game Business, admitting that they pushed out a rough release, which led to the negative reception. Still, over time, the team worked and redeemed themselves with DLCs and 86 patches until the game was in a playable condition.
Still, the game went on to sell around 7 million copies, and Schoefield confirmed that his sources were pretty accurate. Additionally, he noted that the total downloads were significantly higher, which may be attributed to the title’s availability on Game Pass.
Initially, Krafton targeted 5 million sales for the game but lowered their estimates to 2 million within just a year, which led to the belief that the game was a flop.
It’s quite possible that the game went on to sell several million copies after its updates and Final Transmission DLC. Callisto Protocol had a budget of $162 million, and as Schoefield says, Krafton recovered the development budget and made well over that.
Still, the layoffs at Striking Distance studio came earlier this year, which doesn’t make sense.
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[News Reporter]
Shaheer is currently pursuing a Business degree while also working as a part-time Content Writer. With his deep passion for both writing and video games, he has seamlessly transitioned into a role as a Journalist. Over the past two years, Shaheer has contributed as a freelancer to various websites and landed positions on acclaimed platforms like Gamerant. Currently, his role at Tech4gamers is as a Features Writer, but he also covers News occasionally. Shaheer’s favorite gaming franchises are Assassin’s Creed and the God of War series.
Get In Touch: shaheer@tech4gamers.com
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