Striking Distance Studios, the studio behind last year’s action horror title The Callisto Protocol, has suffered layoffs.
It’s been confirmed via IGN that 32 employees have been let go from the studio. These include production coordinator Sebastian Marlow, associate producer Nora Falcon, senior environment artist Matthew Smith, and VFX artist Matt Christopherson.
A spokesperson for Krafton, Striking Distance’s parent company, gave the following statement to IGN:
“Striking Distance Studios and Krafton have implemented strategic changes that realign the studio’s priorities to better position its current and future projects for success. Unfortunately, these changes have impacted 32 employees. Honoring the invaluable contributions of each departing team member with material support in the form of outplacement services and meaningful severance packages is our top priority during this difficult moment.”
Striking Distance was founded in 2019 by Dead Space co-creator Glen Schofield alongside industry veterans. The Callisto Protocol was its first title, released in December 2022. Set in a prison on Jupiter’s moon of Callisto in 2320, it follows an inmate’s escape following an alien outbreak. The game received a mixed reception from critics and players; we scored it a 6 out of 10 in our review. It was reported in January that The Callisto Protocol underperformed in sales compared to its reportedly massive budget.
The Callisto Protocol’s story expansion, Final Transmission, was released on June 28.
[Source: IGN]