It’s unfortunate when staff gets let go from a developer, and it looks as though Striking Distance Studios – the team behind The Callisto Protocol – is looking to layoff more than a fifth of its employees
Possibly due to poor sales and reception
Initially spotted by Twitter user Timur222, the layoffs have since been confirmed in a statement sent to IGN. A spokesperson for Krafton, the publisher behind The Callisto Protocol, said the company is looking to “implement strategic strategies,” which unfortunately means 32 staff members are being let go.
The spokesperson goes on to say that employees who will no longer be working at Striking Distance will be departing “with material support in the form of outplacement services and meaningful severance packages.”
While there are no specifics as to why a chunk of the team is being axed, many will assume that the poor reception of The Callisto Protocol as probably the main reason for these redundancies.
The game, directed by Glen Schofield, was touted as a spiritual successor to the Dead Space series (which Schofield co-created), but it failed to live up to expectations.
A series of bugs meant fans were not happy with the final result, and even subsequent patches have failed to undo the damage caused by Striking Distance’s maiden release. At the time of writing, the game has an overall rating of “Mixed” on Steam, though recent reviews have placed it in the “Mostly Positive” category.
While 32 employees may not sound like a lot, it’s worth remembering that, according to the studio’s website, there are 144 people working for the developer (which includes Schofield himself). This means the company is losing 22% of its workforce, which is a significant amount for the Callisto Protocol creator.
