Video Games
Sales Targets Adjusted For ‘The Callisto Protocol’ After Initial Performance
You have to give credit to the team at Striking Distance Studios for trying to take on EA and their upcoming Dead Space remake with The Callisto Protocol. However, judging from the initial sales of The Callisto Protocol, and the game’s quality, things haven’t gone the way they intended.
Per GamesIndustry.biz, analysts have lowered sales targets for The Callisto Protocol, citing the game’s current sales. According to analyst firm Samsung Securities, publisher Krafton’s expected sales of The Callisto Protocol were in the 5 million copies range, but now states that cumulative sales of 2 million copies “will not be easy until this year.”
As for why the game hasn’t performed up to financial expectations, Yonhap News Agency site K-Odyssey attributes the reception of The Callisto Protocol to its focus on development. “The problem is that Krafton spent a significant amount of money on the production of The Callisto Protocol.” Indeed, Krafton’s business report and quarterly report states that the company paid about $158 million USD to Striking Distance Studios last year. Coupled with the game’s mixed reception upon release (including our own), and the decision to adjust the game’s sales forecast sadly comes at no surprise.
One hopes that there’s still time for the developers to turn things around for The Callisto Protocol. The spiritual successor to Dead Space will be receiving its first postlaunch content next month.
Video Games
Bloody Body Horror Revealed in ‘Stellar Blade: Blood Rain’, Currently in Development [Trailer]
Shift Up has shifted things dramatically from 2024’s action-adventure game Stellar Blade, offering up a body horror bonanza in the newly announced sequel, Stellar Blade: Blood Rain. The sequel is currently early in development, but if the trailer is any indication, players will be in for plenty of body horror.
Continuing the story from the original Stellar Blade, Blood Rain will star a new protagonist named Eve. Earth has been abandoned, and what is left of humanity has fled to a Colony in outer space.
Shift Up had mentioned during a Q&A following its latest earnings presentation last month that development on Blood Rain (which was still unannounced at the time) was progressing smoothly, and was on track to meet their targeted quality standards.
Shift Up stated that with this new title it would be transitioning to a first-party service model, effectively moving away from the restrictions the game experienced with original publisher Sony, which had the game under an exclusivity agreement for the PlayStation 5. “This will allow us to lead marketing strategies that fully reflect the distinctive identity of the Stellar Blade IP, and we expect to communicate the unique appeal of its universe to players more directly and effectively.”
Whether this means that Xbox Players will finally be able to play the original game (or its sequel) is still not clear. Meanwhile, Stellar Blade is reportedly being ported to the Nintendo Switch 2, but no official confirmation has been made.