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Callisto Protocol dev Striking Distance senior staff getting axed

Come to think of it. The dead space remake didn’t look as Callisto protocol. And that was a current gen exclusive.
It was also based on an old IP and is a remake of an old game. Not everything is apples and apples dude. I don't get why people compare apples to oranges all the time. It's really dumb lol.
 

kunonabi

Member
Good game and despite the hard to swallow DLC ending for some people I'm hopeful for this IPs future. Karen Fukuhara as the second games protagonist would be welcomed and probably sell even better since The Boys is  HOT.
Unless she plays a different character that isn't a gigantic bitch I doubt that. She made that game such a grating chore.
 

Hugare

Member
I loved the game, but giving $160 M for a new IP from a new studio is a bold move. Borderline stupid, but I admire the courage (that didnt pay off, of course)

Its something that just doesnt happen in the industry (for obvious reasons). This game was an unicorn, and I love it for it.

Dont know what Krafton was smoking when they greenlit it, but thank God for that.

When I saw the reception, I immediately thought "well, they are fucked". They would have to downscale badly, in devs and budget, and thats what happening.
 
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What a ridiculous budget to allocate for a game like this. Horror games were never huge enough to be able to reach such high sales numbers so I don't know what they were thinking by spending so much money on the production, not to mention marketing costs.
I feel like they saw sales figures of RE2 Remake and RE7 and thought those were now the norm, not the exception.

Technology was cheaper though...and tech was not as advanced. Dead Space from 2008 doesn't look anywhere near the visual and animation fidelity that is of Callisto Protocol. Silly comparison that makes no logical sense.
Obviously. My wording should have been better. I was looking at it as Callisto's budget would probably be around today's equivalent as DS2's budget back then. My comparison was more in that they went into making Callisto with the idea that it would sale just as good, better actually, as Dead Space in its prime just because of the dev name attached, so a budget of well over double DS2's would be fine, when they should have went in with a more modest approach for there first game.
 
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violence

Member
It was also based on an old IP and is a remake of an old game. Not everything is apples and apples dude. I don't get why people compare apples to oranges all the time. It's really dumb lol.
Edited. I was saying the dead space remake didn’t look as good as Callisto protocol. I am only pointing this out because it may explain why the budget was so high. The game clearly had talent on the team, which probably wasn’t cheap.
 
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rofif

Can’t Git Gud
Technology was cheaper though...and tech was not as advanced. Dead Space from 2008 doesn't look anywhere near the visual and animation fidelity that is of Callisto Protocol. Silly comparison that makes no logical sense.

In video game development the art assets are the most expensive thing alongside programming. Programmers get paid more than artists, but more artists are needed than programmers due to the sheer volume of art assets that are needed so the art assets overtake programming on the costing budget.
It doesn’t matter. Dead space was top of the line whe. It released. Just as Callisto is now.
 

simpatico

Member
Game should have been so much better. The art assets were there, but the combat design was just a bonehead move. No one is going to space to melee a bunch of cosmic horrors. Let us shoot off some limbs. It was 60% of the fun of Dead Space. Having a giant blob zombie tap me on the shoulder, pause for a few seconds only to square up for a boxing match just pulled me out of it. They were stun baton sponges too. Encounters took too long and provided little challenge once the dance starts. Remaster this mofo with a laser cutter gun and a quick decap machete and I'll jump back in.

As a Dead Space homage, the design doc is already there. Every step they took off the path was 2 steps back. Should have been really simple. Just do a Dead Space version of Mighty No. 9 or Bloodstained.
 
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Edited. I was saying the dead space remake didn’t look as good as Callisto protocol. I am only pointing this out because it may explain why the budget was so high. The game clearly had talent on the team, which probably wasn’t cheap.
Ahh I see. My apologies. I didn't play the remake of DS but based of visual footage it looked quite good for a remake. And yes, I agree that Callisto looked better, they really did go out of their way to push visuals. It's a very solid looking game I just wish the melee combat wasn't so clunky. Really unfortunate and I kind of want a sequel but I fear it may not happen now :(
 

Buggy Loop

Member
$162 M on a studio’s first title? DAFUQ? Don’t care if guy worked on Dead Space, who the fuck financed that?

Tipping Jim Carrey GIF
 
I enjoyed Callisto Protocol but playing it felt like being the second person in the last round of Family Feud where all the best answers were already taken. Like they didn’t want to carbon copy Dead Space so they took everything and made it different but also worse.
 

Mr.Phoenix

Member
$162M?

These are just bad choices to me. They should have focused on one platform, and get some sort of marketing or publishing deal. Release the game first, protect themselves. Then if it does well, make it for other platforms a year or so later.
 

Arsic

Loves his juicy stink trail scent
Asking the first new IP/game from a newly founded studio to sell 5+ million copies seems like a very unrealistic goal to me.
They sold 2M with a shit game and good marketing.

They would’ve sold 5 million easy if it was good and on the same level as Dead Space 1&2. All the hype was there… and launched a joke PC version and the combat, lack of enemy variety , etc destroyed the game word of mouth.
 
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Ozriel

M$FT
Asking the first new IP/game from a newly founded studio to sell 5+ million copies seems like a very unrealistic goal to me.

Money men only care about results. A new IP should sell as well as CoD or a Sony exclusive.

Weird posts.
If you ask for a massive budget to make a high production value AAA game and spend a ton on marketing, the folks funding the game expect to see a return on their investment.

Perhaps they should have set their sights on a more modest goal for their first game?

$162M?

These are just bad choices to me. They should have focused on one platform, and get some sort of marketing or publishing deal. Release the game first, protect themselves. Then if it does well, make it for other platforms a year or so later.

Only a relatively small portion of the budget would have gone into making it multiplatform. Nobody does high value marketing deals for a new IP from a new studio.
 

Roni

Gold Member
Gotta support the devs that are still doing it successfully. Take Two, Naughty Dog, CDPR, Insomniac...

A world without high quality single player games is not the future I want.
 

ZehDon

Gold Member
Sad to see, given the enormous potential here.

The game has exceptional presentation - with Ray Tracing, it's legitimately some of the best real-time graphics I've ever seen. However, the core combat model breaks the moment there's more than one enemy - and that's about 70% of the game. If they fixed up the combat and hired some decent writers, they'd have a solid series moving forward. Fingers crossed they get that chance.
 

DaGwaphics

Member
I think a lot of these publishers/developers have just lost the plot in regards to sales expectations, budgets, etc. When you reach a point where 60 or 70% of everything released is viewed as a "disappointment" it might be time to rethink what the market is.
 

violence

Member
People whine about the increase in prices to $70, but this might be a case for why it should happen. Otherwise, the game needs to sell X amount of units.

Hollywood is at the point where no one wants to fund anything other than mega franchises like marvel.
 
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SpearFist

Member
Reminds me of the Evil Within not being the huge success Bethesda wanted it to be. It was marketed heavily as THE game from the "Father of survival horror", Shinji Mikami, and even though it sold well for a new IP it didn't reach Resident Evil by a long shot.

I liked callisto protocol but it was weaker than dead space. And shinji mikami actually made another survival horror masterpiece with evil within 1.
 

Ristifer

Member
Loved the game. Wasn't perfect, but was hoping a sequel would improve on a lot of the so-so elements. Guess that's out the window now.
 

Mr Hyde

Member
I liked callisto protocol but it was weaker than dead space. And shinji mikami actually made another survival horror masterpiece with evil within 1.

The Evil Within was the shit. I even platinumed it. It should have been the start off a long and successful franchise, but I guess two games are better than nothing.
 

Hudo

Member
Like Jim Ryan said, the AAA(A) model of $150M+ single-player one-and-done's is unsustainable unless subsidized by GaaS or platform-owner revenue splits.
DId he really say that? Because he also said that he's pursuing fewer but bigger first-party releases. Which would contradict that.
 

FeastYoEyes

Member
Survival horror thrives on variety in enemies and environments to keep you on your toes and the experience interesting. This need can be lessened if the story or characters are interesting, if the gameplay is amazing. It had none of the above in my opinion.
 
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violence

Member
The Melee was more fun once you upgraded it. I liked when things lined up and you batted a dude into the spikes. Though I admit the game was most fun once you got the spacesuit and using the gun.
 

Vox Machina

Banned
DId he really say that? Because he also said that he's pursuing fewer but bigger first-party releases. Which would contradict that.

Yeah, as part of the MSFT/ABK merger he said that if CoD left the Playstation platform then they would be unable to even continue business
 
Of all the people to layoff, you don't let your senior peeps go.

Layoffs are shit regardless, but letting your most senior staff go only hurts the studios' prospects in the long term. The only exception would be senior middle managers that largely sit around all day doing fuck all and twiddling the mouse every now and again to prevent MS Teams from showing them as away from their desks.
 

MidGenRefresh

*Refreshes biennially
Of all the people to layoff, you don't let your senior peeps go.

Layoffs are shit regardless, but letting your most senior staff go only hurts the studios' prospects in the long term. The only exception would be senior middle managers that largely sit around all day doing fuck all and twiddling the mouse every now and again to prevent MS Teams from showing them as away from their desks.

You open a Notepad and place espresso cup on a spacebar. Works flawlessly.
 

yurinka

Member
Like Jim Ryan said, the AAA(A) model of $150M+ single-player one-and-done's is unsustainable unless subsidized by GaaS or platform-owner revenue splits.
Source? As I remember who said that SP AAA model is unsustainable was Shawn Layden, not Jim Ryan.

But it's true that gen after gen the budgets skyrocket (we're seeing ) but the prices and game sales don't. To a point that a couple big games tanking in a row can severely hurt a company or studio.
 

skneogaf

Member
The game is okay but I want more gunplay.

Also I like the actor from transformers but he's unnecessary in this game, same with any famous actor.

The performance with everything on maximum is still very poor.

AMD sponsorship forces no dlss was always going to end badly.
 
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