Striking Distance Studios, the developer behind The Callisto Protocol, has been hit with a round of layoffs.
Its parent companyKraftonsaid it has “reduced the size” of the California-based studio, but that it “remains operational”.
It confirmed the layoffs in a statement issued toPC Gamer, after multiple affected employees broke the news on LinkedIn.
“Most of the devs were laid off”,wroteformer director of concept art Jesse Lee, who had been with Striking Distance for almost six years.
Zach Volker, who lost his job as animation director,saidthe studio had suffered “lots of layoffs”, while former cloud devops engineer Seth Spitkoskisaidhe was among “many” who were let go.
“Striking Distance Studioshas reduced the size of its team to remain agile, which creates a sustainable environment for the studio at its current stage of development,” a Krafton spokesperson toldPC Gamer. “The studio remains operational, and these changes will not impact any planned ongoing support. No further changes are planned at this time.”
Dead SpacecreatorGlen Schofieldfounded Striking Distance in 2019with the goal of crafting an original narrative experience in thePUBGuniverse, although the project evolved over time into a sci-fi survival horror game that was no longer tied to the franchise.
The Callisto Protocol received mixed reviewswhen it was released in December 2022, a month beforeEAreleased a critically acclaimed Dead Space remake, and reportedlyfailed to meet Krafton’s sales expectations. Schofield left the studio in September 2023.
Striking Distance’s most recent release was last October’sroguelike Callisto Protocol spin-off, Redacted, which the studio said was developed by a small team, alongside its next full-scale game, which has yet to be announced.
