Striking Distance Studios, the team behind The Callisto Protocol, has seemingly cancelled its next game, codenamed Project Titan. The news surfaced on Reddit, where a senior technical artist from the studio revealed that they had worked on Project Titan and listed it as a cancelled project. 
This artist’s tasks on the game included setting up characters, weapons, and props, the same responsibilities they had when working on The Callisto Protocol.
Striking Distance Studios, founded by Glen Schofield, the creator of Dead Space, generated a lot of buzz when it was first announced. The team, composed of industry veterans, was expected to create something special, especially as the next-gen consoles were on the horizon. At the time, Schofield hinted at a cinematic, narrative-driven experience, and many hoped the studio would develop a game reminiscent of Dead Space.
When The Callisto Protocol was eventually revealed, fans of horror games, like myself, were thrilled. Touted as a ‘spiritual successor’ to Dead Space, the project had immense potential with Schofield at the helm. However, things didn’t quite go as planned. Development was plagued by issues, with Schofield publicly acknowledging the team’s struggles with intense crunch periods.
Upon release, the game garnered mixed reviews, including from us here at Wccftech. This was not helped by the fact that Dead Space Remake by EA Motive launched a month later, becoming a major success. While that release undoubtedly overshadowed The Callisto Protocol, it wasn’t the main factor behind the game’s lukewarm reception. Schofield later admitted that the game had been rushed, revealing that the team needed an extra three to four months to refine the project, but Krafton, the publisher, had not granted this time.
The studio faced significant challenges post-launch, including multiple rounds of layoffs. Schofield eventually departed from Striking Distance Studios less than a year after the game’s release. In the following year, it was reported that the team was working on a new project, which we now know was likely Project Titan.
It’s disappointing to see such a promising studio struggle in this way. Hopefully, Striking Distance Studios can turn things around with their next venture, and we’re all hoping they won’t be facing closure anytime soon.