The Callisto Protocol Missed Sales Targets

Even before its release, 2022 survival horror game The Callisto Protocol from developer Striking Distance Studios and publisher Krafton had a lot of fan-expectation due to involvement of Glen Schofield, creator of Dead Space horror series.

Many players who already finished playing the base game campaign are probably waiting for its upcoming DLC expansion. Despite being sixth best-selling retail game at launch week in UK, The Callisto Protocol failed to meet its sales target.

According to a latest report, it took over a budget of $162 million to make The Callisto Protocol but its disappointing sales number didn't match publisher's expectations and therefore, Krafton investors had to lower their target stock prices.

Even though a multi-platform launch, The Callisto Protocol has failed to recoup its development cost with initial sales. Marketed as "Quadruple A" title, developer/publisher team has spared no expense for a niche IP that didn't produce sale.

For example, Resident Evil Village being a major release in popular survival horror franchise was able to sell 6 million units in six months. Shipping a new IP, Krafton expected Callisto Protocol to sell around 5 million copies but still failed hard.

The Callisto Protocol launching to mixed reviews have already hit Krafton's stock price on Korea Exchange back in December 2022. Considering current sales ranking, it won't be easy to exceed even 2 million sales units until end of this year.