Striking Distance Studios has partnered with Skybound Entertainment on horror game The Callisto Protocol. The developer, led by Dead Space creator Glen Schofield—and staffed by former Visceral Games employees who worked on Dead Space—announced the partnership with Skybound in a tweet today.
We’re excited to announce that we have partnered with @SkyboundGames on the Callisto Protocol! We’re thrilled to have these masters of horror working with us to bring The Callisto Protocol to life! #CallistoTheGame pic.twitter.com/JQ1buHpREB
— The Callisto Protocol (@CallistoTheGame) February 9, 2021
Skybound is perhaps best known for its work on The Walking Dead franchise, notably the Telltale series and the fantastically terrifying Saints & Sinners VR game. The announcement calls them “masters of horror,” which bodes well for Schofield’s aim to make The Callisto Protocol the scariest game ever made. Skybound also talked about the new partnership, saying they are “upping the ante” on horror:
We’re stoked to announce our partnership with @sd_studios on The Callisto Protocol!
You know our love for horror runs deep, but now we’re upping the ante with a truly terrifying survival horror game from the team behind Dead Space. Check out @CallistoTheGame #CallistoTheGame pic.twitter.com/3by0fcnxZU
— Skybound Games (@skyboundgames) February 9, 2021
Perhaps the biggest piece of this partnership is Skybound’s expertise with transmedia, which will help bring The Callisto Protocol to life in “games and beyond.” Skybound will assist with both brand extension of the IP and global distribution in bringing the game to consoles and PC in 2022. KRAFTON is still acting as the game’s publisher.
The Callisto Protocol was first announced at The Game Awards 2020 after a long time of speculating what Schofield and his recently formed Striking Distance were working on. They later released an extended red band version of the reveal trailer, showing off just how terrifyingly Dead Space-like the game they are making is. During that reveal, they also answered a number of questions about the game, including revealing some small story details and how they are trying to make it the scariest thing people have ever played.
The creators have also defended the place that single-player games have in the industry, as well as praising the new console hardware’s capabilities for crafting even more immersive and scary experiences.
There aren’t many details about The Callisto Protocol available just yet, and the game isn’t set to release until an unspecified date in 2022, however, Striking Distance Studios’ partnership with Skybound Games should reassure interested players that this spiritual successor to Dead Space is in good hands.