The Callisto Protocol has reportedly not met expectations for sales numbers, failing to match up to a reported $162 million budget. This has caused target stock prices for Krafton to lower.
The Callisto Protocol was met with mixed critic responses when it released and did not perform as expected, despite no expense being spared during its developing. During its development cycle in fact, it was referred to as a “Quadruple A” title. However, the game is within a niche that does not often see massive sales numbers.
Other games in this niche like Resident Evil Village only sold 6 million units in the first six months, despite being praised highly all over the internet.
The Callisto Protocol received high scores and low scores from some reviewers, but overall, the reviews and scores were less than some investors had hoped for.
The Potential Causes for The Underperformance of The Callisto Protocol
The issue with horror games like The Callisto Protocol is that the audience for these sorts of games is not very large. Many people are put off by the fear and gore that comes with such games. The Callisto Protocol also used real gore as inspiration, which makes it very difficult to market to mass numbers of people.
Additionally, many online personalities that reviewed the title stated that it was boring and lacked innovation compared to other games like Dead Space.
Some reviewers found the story to be cliché and uninspired, which did not help The Callisto Protocol differentiate itself much from the other horror games out there.
On top of that, the game did not get a release in Japan because of censorship issues. Japan often censors video games with excessive gore. The Callisto Protocol team determined that releasing a Japanese version would not fit the artistic vision, which is likely another factor in the lower sales figures. Japan is a major hub for video games, after all.
The fact that The Callisto Protocol failed to meet sales expectations has been reportedly disappointing for Krafton, especially when compared to the massive budget placed into the development.
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Zainah Yousef
Zainah Yousef is the author of The Fallen Age Saga and specializes in gaming, social media advice, and reviews. She's been writing all her life and she probably won't stop anytime soon.
