Announced during last December’s Game Awards showcase, developer Striking Distance Studios is currently working on a new sci-fi horror game titledThe Callisto Protocol,with the project boastingDead Spaceproducer Glenn Schofield in the director’s chair. It seems the game will have more than just Schofield’s expertise, however, with it being announced today thatThe Walking Deadcreator Robert Kirkman and his studio Skybound Entertainment will be collaborating on the project.
The team-up will allegedly focus on ensuringThe Callisto Protocol’ssuccess outside of the video game space, with Striking Distance claiming in a statement (later shared by IGN) that it’s hoping to utilize Skybound’s “expertise in building horror-themed transmedia.” Of course, the company has previously expandedThe Walking Deadfar beyond just the pages of Kirkman’s original comic books, seeing the IP adapted into multiple television shows, a handful of video games, and even an upcoming Rick Grimes-focused movie.
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Speaking onThe Walking Dead’ssuccess over various media formats, Kirkman claimed he “can’t wait to explore similar possibilities forThe Callisto Protocol.” The game is clearly perceived as much more than a one-off horror experience for Striking Distance Studios, who seems to envision it spinning into a long-running franchise with a lot of cross-media potential. It’s already been made clear that the title will be connected in some way to thePlayerUnknown’s Battlegroundsuniverse, taking place 300 years after the events of the popular battle royale title. In an interview last month,Schofield clarified that the connection between the games won’t be “really deep,“and will be fleshed out more through deeper lore than immediate story.
The game currently has a release window of 2022 and looks to be something of a spiritual successor toDead Space,withits cinematic trailerrevealing a space-bound prison setting that’s infested with zombified monsters. The footage focuses on one of the prisoners living in this futuristic horror-scape, who awakens to find his cellmate has turned into a nightmarish creature. As the character is devoured by the monster, it’s revealed that the scene is being watched by a mysterious figure, who is shown to be in a surveillance room overlooking an icy moon-based facility.
The trailer became a big talking point when it dropped last year, with fans ofDead Spaceand similar science fiction horror games sharing their excitement for the creepy new project. It looks as though the title has ambitious plans to stretch further than just a video game outing, and withSkybound’s track record, it’s sure to be primed for success.
The Callisto Protocolis set to release on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X in 2022.
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