When The Collisto Protocol was unveiled late 2020, one of the more, let’s say, baffling details was that the survival horror game was based in the world of PUBG. The game, by former Dead Space creator Glen Schofield, clearly bore little similarity to the high-octane battle royale. Instead, it appeared to ape Schofield’s famous horror series. And yet, somehow it was all still tied to PUBG. But no longer. According to Schofield, The Callisto Protocol is now “its own story and world,” and it no longer has ties to the PUBG universe.
How it came about to begin with is no doubt a story to be told. The Callisto Protocol is being published by Krafton, which owns the PUBG IP. Clearly, there were some early high-level discussions about tying the battle royale to a Dead Space-like horror game. In the initial premise, The Callisto Protocol took place some several centuries following the PUBG timeline. Now, however, that’s all changed.
“It no longer takes place in the PUBG Universe,” Schofield explained in a Twitter message. “It was originally part of the PUBG timeline, but grew into its own world. PUBG is awesome, &we will still have little surprises for fans, but TCP is its own world, story and universe.”
FYI @CallistoTheGame is its own story and world. It no longer takes place in the PUBG Universe. It was originally part of the PUBG timeline, but grew into its own world. PUBG is awesome, &we will still have little surprises for fans, but TCP is its own world, story and universe.
— Glen A. Schofield (@GlenSchofield) May 26, 2022
The Callisto royale
Even from the onset, the pairing seemed pretty baffling. How would one tie together a live service battle royale to a sci-fi horror game with Necromorph-style monsters? The amount of hoops to jump through would make anyone feel exhausted. And yet, the game looked interesting enough to convince me to set those concerns aside.
According to Game Informer, which is running a cover for The Collisto Protocol, Schofield says references to PUBG were supposed to be sparse, but quite clear. Schofield said that the team asked questions like: “Where does PUBG start?” and “Where does it fit in?” The team created a timeline of events to lead up to The Callisto Protocol and included “touchpoints” and Easter eggs as a nod to its origin.
The Callisto Protocol is now free of all that. We should know more during Summer Game Fest, where the title will likely be showcased once again.
