The Callisto Protocol Has Reportedly Not Met KRAFTON's Sales Expectations

Striking Distance Studios' debut title The Callisto Protocol, which was released last month, has reportedly not met the sales expectations of the developer and publisher.

That's according to a new report by K-Odyssey which states that analysts like Daishin Securities, Samsung Securities, Korea Investment & Securities, and Hyundai Motor Securities have lowered sales targets for the title – securities companies have cited the failure of the Callisto Protocol as the primary reason.

Specifically, Samsung Securities states that the game's publisher KRAFTON previously projected annual sales of 5 million copies of The Callisto Protocol but the analytics firm believes that now it will be challenging to reach even 2 million copies. This sentiment is echoed by Korea Investment & Securities which has lowered its expectations to 2.1 million copies from 4 million.

The Callisto Protocol was released on December 2 to moderate critical acclaim. Although fans highly anticipated the game, as it is a project from Dead Space creator Glen Schofield, at launch, players have reported issues such as FPS drops and constant stuttering and have expressed disappointment in the game's cliche story, short length, frustrating combat, and lack of features.

Following users' first reviews KRAFTON's stock immediately dropped as, apparently, the reception was worse than some investors expected. In addition, players were disappointed with Schofield's response to their complaints about the poor state of the game at launch – the head of the studio blamed the game's issues on a "freakin error by someone rushing." 

It's worth noting that an expectation of selling 5 million copies may have been overly ambitious. Even the critically acclaimed Dead Space 2, which sold 4 million copies during its peak, was considered a disappointment by publisher Electronic Arts. Historically, Dead Space games have not sold as many copies as more mainstream titles, and The Callisto Protocol was targeting the same niche market.

You can find K-Odyssey's report here. Also, don't forget to join our 80 Level Talent platform, our Reddit page, and our Telegram channel, follow us on Instagram and Twitter, where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.