Glen Schofield: The Callisto Protocol was successful, with sales reaching 6-7 million copies
Former head of Striking Distance Studios, Glen Schofield, in an interview with The Game Business, shared that a poor reception at launch did not hinder the horror game The Callisto Protocol from eventually selling excellently.
The Callisto Protocol
Schofield doesn't know the exact sales figures for the game, but he has repeatedly heard that they were around 6-7 million copies. However, he is confident that even if it's 5 million copies, The Callisto Protocol has paid off.
As the developer recalls, the game cost over $100 million. At KRAFTON, the parent company of Striking Distance Studios, the amount was considered so large that they conducted an audit of the studio twice. However, the budget included not only the direct development of the horror game but also other expenses, such as the establishment of Striking Distance Studios itself, for which The Callisto Protocol was the first game, and later the launch of a publishing department within the studio.
Nonetheless, according to Schofield, KRAFTON never asked to reduce the game's budget, although they sometimes surprised him with their statements. In particular, the company believed that creating a version of The Callisto Protocol for PlayStation 5 could be done without additional costs since the developers were already working on the PlayStation 4 version.