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PUBG, an online multiplayer battle royale game from publisher Krafton, was originally part of a shared fictional universe with an upcoming horror game and Dead Space’s spiritual successor to The Callisto Protocol, but was dropped when it became “difficult” to link the two for developer Striking Distance.
Set aboard an isolated space prison, The Callisto Protocol sees you encounter a range of terrifying creatures mutated by a mysterious infection. Combat is designed to be heavy and difficult, with Striking Distance trying to evoke fear through a sense of vulnerability and helplessness. Led by Glenn Scofield, a former EA producer who worked on Dead Space, the developer initially aimed to create a shared universe between The Callisto Protocol and PUBG, an online shooter also created by publisher Krafton. However, speaking to PCGamesN at Gamescom 2022, Striking Distance CTO Mark James explained that the connection was dropped because it made it “too difficult” to tell The Callisto Protocol’s story correctly.
“We looked at two universes,” says James, “and a good 400 years have passed between them. It has become difficult to tell our story and still maintain that connection. So we said, “We have one game to create this universe, and we hope to develop it as, fingers crossed, a franchise,” so we spoke to Krafton and said, “We don’t want to do this part of the PUBG universe anymore.” And they basically said that if you think it’s the right decision for the game, then you don’t have to do it.”
It’s not clear exactly how PUBG could be connected to the world of The Callisto Protocol, although given that the game takes place in a prison, it’s possible that some of the prisoners could be former battle royale participants punished for all their mutilation and murder. On the other hand, it could be people who refused to participate in a giant death fight and were sent to prison to set an example. Luckily, there may still be some hints of PUBG in The Callisto Protocol, as James explains that the horror game will contain a number of Easter eggs.
“There are easter eggs in the game, even easter eggs from previous games,” explains James. “A nice little thing to add, these little detectable items. You’ll find audio recordings of previous prisoners, scribbles on the walls, and the more you research, the more you’ll learn about the prison’s origins.”
The Callisto Protocol releases December 2nd.