It has been revealed that The Callisto Protocol, an upcoming sci-fi survival horror game from new developer Striking Distance Studios, received contributions in its development from Playstation and its parent company, Sony. The Callisto Protocol has generated significant hype online since its announcement, in large part due to the incredible graphics and animation on display in the trailers shown thus far.Directed by Glen Schofield, co-creator of the iconic Dead Space series, The Callisto Protocol has frequently been described as a spiritual successor to those games due to similarities in setting, aesthetic, and gameplay elements. Schofield has stated in interviews that there is no connection between the fictional universes of Dead Space and The Callisto Protocol, although a great deal of creative influence from the former has clearly found its way into the new IP. One of the evident similarities lies in the gruesome, gory imagery employed in both games, although The Callisto Protocol certainly displays a unique and visually stunning style, especially in its cinematic scenes.It seems that some of the credit for the impressive quality of these cinematics may be due to a collaboration between Striking Distance Studios and Sony's Visual Arts Services Group (VASG). Responding to a tweet highlighting the fact that The Callisto Protocol rented out Playstation's motion capture studio space to film its cinematics, former VASG studio head Michael Mumbauer stated on Tuesday that Sony's contributions to the project went even further. According to Mumbauer, Playstation and the VASG "contributed quite a lot to the cinematics and more," suggesting a deeper collaboration with Striking Distance than was previously recognized.
The San Diego-based VASG has been offering assistance in the form of resources and expertise to a variety of game development studios for many years and has been called an unsung hero of countless popular Playstation titles. Most of the beneficiaries of VASG's aid are Sony-owned studios, but the company does collaborate with third-party studios like Striking Distance from time to time.
For a relatively small and untested studio like Striking Distance, collaborating with influential companies like Sony seems like a smart move, as doing so provides access to facilities and technology far beyond the reach of most developers. It is quite likely that the widely-praised cinematics seen from The Callisto Protocol can be attributed at least in part to the success of this collaboration, although the hardworking team at Striking Distance Studios certainly still deserves the lion's share of the credit. Fans will get to see all of the game's cinematics and more when The Callisto Protocol comes out next month.
The Callisto Protocol releases December 2 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.