There is a popular search going around at the moment asking whether The Callisto Protocol is connected to Dead Space. It is true that both games share a lot of similarities, and as The Callisto Protocol nears its launch next month, it is only natural for fans to wonder if the two are at all related. The Callisto Protocol is an unfamiliar title with characters that players may not have seen before, but it is true that fans could easily be mistaken by how comparable The Callisto Protocol’s gameplay and atmosphere is to Dead Space’s.
The Callisto Protocol’s biophages are even quite similar to Dead Space’s necromorphs. Dead Space is a remarkably popular franchise, and even though there has not been a new installment since Dead Space 3, EA Motive’s Dead Space remake may be the entry needed to stoke that flame again. In the meantime, fans are being treated to an original IP in The Callisto Protocol. But while The Callisto Protocol shares no continuity relation to Dead Space, it certainly draws an enormous amount of unabashed inspiration from its seminal iconography.
Dead Space’s Influence Bears Many Resemblances in The Callisto Protocol
The Callisto Protocol is not connected to Dead Space, at least not in terms of their original narratives or IPs. The two IPs are completely independent of one another, but there are clear reasons why fans may think they are interconnected.
The Callisto Protocol’s Striking Distance Studios is helmed by Glen Schofield, who also created Dead Space, and so if any developer was going to share influences from Dead Space it is only natural that it would be the creator. Besides the fact that both IPs indulge in science-fiction survival-horror with gruesome enemy dismemberment, both also share minimal HUD UI and an over-the-shoulder third-person perspective.
If fans did not know about either Dead Space or The Callisto Protocol, they might assume that they were one and the same after looking at a couple screenshots or brief snippets of their gameplay. Knowing what fans know, however, it is made evident that The Callisto Protocol is its own game. The Dead Space franchise would surely excel if it was being revived in such a fashion, and The Callisto Protocol would seemingly serve to gain nothing from hiding any potential relations to it.
The Callisto Protocol is Making an Effort to Be Its Own Unique IP
Instead, it seems that The Callisto Protocol is attempting to identify itself independently of Dead Space while still mimicking its niche game design and science-fiction setting. For example, if it was truly connected to Dead Space’s IP, then that would have meant Dead Space was almost part of PUBG as well before The Callisto Protocol decided not to pursue that narrative continuity.
Moreover, The Callisto Protocol’s gameplay is highly distinguishable, affording players many more options in combat than Dead Space had. It seems as though the game’s similarities to Dead Space are considered a boon, however, due to how popular its iconography is.
If The Callisto Protocol can iterate on that and establish an advantageous connection through gameplay, then it may be an agreeable transition for fans of Dead Space to make. It is also important to note that while The Callisto Protocol is not explicitly connected to Dead Space, it is possible that the game may have Easter eggs strewn about for fans of the franchise to find.
This may or may not allude to such connections, and it may be fun for Striking Distance Studios to capitalize on those relations themselves, even if they are not entirely canonical. But if The Callisto Protocol truly wishes to step out from under Dead Space’s shadow, it needs to deny these impulses and provide a wholly unique experience.
The Callisto Protocol releases December 2 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.