Glen Schofield, the director of the 2022 game The Callisto Protocol, has revealed the single change he would make to the game, and it wasn`t a delay to its release. In an interview with The Game Business, Schofield stated that his superiors at Korean publisher Krafton insisted on The Callisto Protocol`s December launch to align with a strategically favorable time for their shareholders.
“I don`t like when politics get in the way, which they did with Krafton,” he said. “There was no doubt about it. They told me the game had to ship in December because of the Korean stock market. I should have just shut it down right there. I`m mad at myself for that.”
Schofield also noted that the PC version of The Callisto Protocol was a “sh** show.”
The Callisto Protocol was released on December 2, 2022. Schofield claims that Krafton ceased communication with him as early as December 10, only resuming contact in May 2023.
Initially, The Callisto Protocol was conceived as a horror game set within the PUBG universe, but the connection to the battle royale game was later severed. The development team, Striking Distance, faced layoffs after the game`s release.
According to Schofield, The Callisto Protocol sold between 6-7 million copies and “made a lot of money” for a debut project from a new studio. Even if the actual figure was 5 million, the game “earned its money back,” Schofield asserted. However, Krafton`s management, for their part, stated that the game failed to meet sales expectations.
After leaving Striking Distance, Schofield attempted to secure funding for several other games, but nothing materialized. He is now focusing on his art and writing projects.