The Callisto Protocol falls frighteningly short of sales expectations

The Callisto Protocol has reportedly fallen short of its sales expectations, despite receiving a lot of publicity and launching in the 2022 holiday season. The Callisto Protocol was seen as a spiritual successor to the Dead Space series, as it was directed by Dead Space co-creator Glen Schofield, with the earlier promotional material promising a bloody sci-fi horror experience.

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It has been reported by M.K-Odyssey that The Callisto Protocol has underperformed in terms of sales. The game was expected to sell around five million units, but it has yet to hit two million combined sales across all platforms. It’s fair to see why the expectations for the game were so high, considering it cost over 200 billion Won (nearly $162 million) and over three years to produce. This doesn’t factor in the marketing costs for the game, which means the budget is likely a lot higher than is currently reported.

Despite a prominent presence during the 2022 summer gaming season that existed in the absence of E3, The Callisto Protocol received mixed reviews at launch, with many outlets complaining about its over-reliance on jump scares, its clunky combat system, an inconsistent difficulty curve, and technical issues with the PC version of the game. The polarizing reception and middling Metacritic score are cited as reasons for the slow sales of the game, along with its brief runtime. A lot of games were released at the end of 2022 and consumers are going to be more willing to wait for a sale on a new title during a busier season, especially if that game is meant to be short and has glitches at launch.

The story isn’t over for The Callisto Protocol just yet, as it still has a slim chance to bounce back. The Callisto Protocol has a DLC roadmap, with a New Game+ and a Hardcore Mode arriving for free on February 7, and with more story content coming as part of its Season Pass in the summer. Things are still looking grim for The Callisto Protocol’s future, with the impending arrival of the Dead Space remake set to steal what remains of its spotlight.