Ubisoft has announced plans to discount The Crew Motorfest and offer a second free trial period less than a month after the game’s release.
21.09.2023 - 12:01 / pcgamer.com / Glen Schofield / Steve Papoutsis / New / Space
The Callisto Protocol, intended to be a spiritual successor to Dead Space, didn't exactly have a smooth entry into the gaming atmosphere. While helmed by the creator of the sci-fi horror classic Glen Schofield, who joined Striking Distance Studios in 2019, things didn't exactly pan out as planned.
The game received mostly negative reviews on Steam after being infected by performance issues, and while there was plenty to like—PC Gamer gave it a 79—it's completely fair to expect a game to actually function out of the box. While the reception has since improved, the scars of its shoddy release state are still there—recent reviews on Steam are «mostly positive», but its overall score remains «mixed».
This lukewarm reception led to Striking Distance Studios laying off 32 employees, not two months after the game's final DLC was released. While the business-speak chalked those layoffs up to «strategic changes», it's likely the game's massive underperformance had more to do with them.
The Callisto Protocol had over $150 million dollars poured into its development, and it was expected to rake in 5 million sold copies in short order. That didn't pan out. The game only hit 2 million copies sold by January 2023, far from those expectations.
Schofield's resignation was confirmed by Bloomberg yesterday. A Krafton representative said he left to «pursue new opportunities». In a later statement he made to GameSpot, Schofield says the following: «Creating Striking Distance Studios has been an incredible journey and I’m so proud of what we’ve achieved with The Callisto Protocol, a game close to my heart. While pursuing a new adventure is exciting, leaving [Striking Distance Studios] is bittersweet, but I know the studio is in excellent hands.»
Steve Papoutsis will be taking up the baton as CEO, while Striking Distance Studios' COO and CFO will also be departing the studio. Papoutsis still has a history with the franchise as an executive producer on Dead Space 2 and Dead Space 3, though it remains to be seen whether the good ship Striking Distance will be able to survive its severed limbs.
Ubisoft has announced plans to discount The Crew Motorfest and offer a second free trial period less than a month after the game’s release.
PlayStation announced which games are coming to PS Plus in October, and as one might expect, one of them is a horror game: The Callisto Protocol. The other two games, Farming Simulator 22 and Weird West, don’t necessarily fit the spooky times, but all three games launch on PlayStation Plus today. This is the second batch of games to be added to the service following last month’s price increase.
PlayStation Plus' monthly free games for October 2023 have been announced. The three titles will be available to members of PS Plus Essential, Extra, and Deluxe/ Premium plans, starting October 3. PS Plus members can sneak their way through the horrifying confines of a gory space prison in The Callisto Protocol, build out large-scale prosperous lands in Farming Simulator 22, and dive into the world of Weird West, which throws gunslingers on an unforgiving land teeming with dark fantastical creatures. These games can be added to your PS4 and PS5 games library until November 6, after which you'll need to hold on to your PS Plus subscription for continued access.
Glen Schofield, co-creator of Dead Space and director of The Callisto Protocol, is leaving developer Striking Distance Studios. Schofield founded the studio and served as CEO, which was opened in conjunction with publisher KRAFTON in 2019.
PlayStation has revealed its October 2023 lineup of free games for PlayStation Plus members and, with it being the month of Halloween, the selections definitely fit the vibe. That's because PlayStation Plus subscribers can add Dead Space spiritual successor, The Callisto Protocol, to their libraries alongside Weird West and the ultra-terrifying Farming Simulator 22. All three games can be added to libraries starting next week on Tuesday, October 3, and players have until Monday, November 6, to do so.
Sony has officially revealed the latest games joining the Monthly Games line-up for PlayStation Plus. Starting October 3rd and until November 6th, PlayStation Plus Essential subscribers can claim The Callisto Protocol, Farming Simulator 22 and Weird West for free. Of course, these will also be available for Extra and Premium subscribers.
A new month means a new PlayStation Plus Monthly Games lineup. October’s titles of The Callisto Protocol, Farming Simulator 22 and Weird West will be available to PlayStation Plus members on Tuesday, October 3 until Monday November 6. Let’s take a closer look at each game.
Sony has officially confirmed the selection of monthly free games available for PlayStation Plus subscribers in October 2023, and one of 2022’s goriest horror titles, The Callisto Protocol, is included, just in time for Halloween.
PlayStation Plus subscribers’ free Essential games for October are The Callisto Protocol, Farming Simulator 22, and Weird West, Sony announced on Wednesday. Players can download the trio of PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 games beginning Tuesday, Oct. 3.
October is almost upon us, which means PS Plus Essential tier subscribers will have a new short-list of free games to try out, and as usual, some of the games have leaked ahead of time. These leaks come courtesy of Billbil-kun writing on Dealabs, who has a pretty much perfect record when it comes to revealing PS Plus titles. In October players can look forward sci-fi horror game The Callisto Protocol and the oddly-popular Farming Simulator 22. There should also be a third title, but our leaker has not revealed that, and it’s likely The Callisto Protocol is October’s highest-profile PS Plus Essential title.
Two of the three games making up October's PlayStation Plus Essential offerings have leaked ahead of an official announcement from Sony.
A month hardly ever goes by where PlayStation Plus’ free offerings don’t get leaked ahead of time, and sure enough, over on Dealabs, serial leaker billbil-kun has spilled the beans – at least partially – on the free games that Sony will be offering to PlayStation Plus subscribers during the month of October.