We are talking about promoting the development of the game genre, whether life after AAA and the death of single player games have been exaggerated.
Callisto Agreement It’s not the “Strike Distance” game that many of us hoped for, but it’s not surprising.
The studio was founded last year by Playerunknown’s battlefield manufacturer PUBG Corp, with Visceral and Sledgehammer veterinarian Glen Schofield at the helm. The company stated that it is conducting an “original narrative experience” in the same world as the company’s Battle Royale.
Therefore, when the trailer for its first project (the science fiction survival horror project The Callisto Protocol) was launched at The Game Awards, I was a little shocked. But then again, given that many of the studio’s staff have previously worked in the Visceral studio of EA’s “Dead Space” series, this is not surprising.
We got to know Steve Papoutsis, the chief development officer of Striking Distance and the former general manager of the house company, to learn more about this new project.
iGamesNews: So, when you started using the Callisto protocol, what was the core idea?
Steve Papusis: Here, I, Glenn and some of the great teams we have formed are passionate about horror games. We hope to be driven by single-player games and focus on stories to provide many opportunities for panic. We have some cool ideas where the theme takes place-in a prison in Callisto, the dead moon of Jupiter. Literally, this is the most important increase in pitch.
iGamesNews: Can you say that you have not completed the science fiction horror film business? The trailer has a huge “dead space” vibration.
Pasteurellosis: Given that many people working on the project also participated in the creation of the “Dead Space” series, this is not surprising. It is fun for people to put them together. We are passionate about the games we are developing, and we are happy to hear people recalling games that many of us love.
iGamesNews: Schofield once said that the studio is making a narrative game in the same universe as Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds. I think it’s fair to say that the Callisto Agreement is not exactly the same as we thought. Has the plan changed?Is it this game or you have other projects In the works?
Pasteurellosis: Except for the content shown the night before, we won’t really dive into the story or anything we did. stay tuned. In the future, we will be able to dig further into this.
iGamesNews: How do you promote the sci-fi horror genre through the Callisto protocol?
Pasteurellosis: What we really want to do is tell a story that immerses the player and uses the background in a way that supports the narrative, rather than derogating the narrative. It can be said that it is about the sum of the various parts. This is to combine all aspects of game production to accomplish truly memorable things. This is what we care about; the intersection of art, design and technology, and the integration of them in a cool environment, accompanied by a great story. Hope this will promote the development of this type.
iGamesNews: Where do you draw inspiration from this game? For almost all science fiction horror games, it is difficult to get rid of aliens and the like, especially in “Dead Space”.
Pasteurellosis: Science fiction and horror are awesome. I think you can say that there are many derivative works in terms of settings and themes. We are studying how to adopt a cool environment that is both cool and relevant. Our prison is a prison, which is really scary to me. That is a dangerous place. We have set it up in this context, and all the other pitfalls we hope to discover as we proceed. We hope that the combination and relevance can make people feel nervous and excited when they delve into the story and invest in it. On this road, we hope to make many things stand out without paying too much, and they may not match expectations.
iGamesNews: How does the development of the Callisto protocol compare to those of Dead Space? Many people have the impression of the project that Visceral has a lot of interesting ideas, but publishers like EA want to do something safer. In contrast, Crafton seems to be more laid-back rather than risk-averse.
Pasteurellosis: I am very lucky and very happy to have the opportunity to work at EA for many years. As you pointed out, Krafton is very different. They are really great and really want to support creatives in their efforts and work. It was a great experience. They are very interested in the creative vision of what the team wants to do. It’s not that there are no other places, but Krafton does show a real affinity for supporting the creative process.
iGamesNews: What is the relationship between Striking Distance and PUBG Studio? Similarly, you are working in the same universe, so I am curious what kind of dialogue you have with them.
Pasteurellosis: So far, it has been amazing to work with the people from PUBG and Krafton. They are super friendly and cooperative. It’s great about everything about the universe, next year we will talk more about legends and stories.
iGamesNews: The debate about the state of single-player games continues. With the popularity of multiplayer games and as-a-service games, will they be dying? What are your thoughts on the so-called single player death?
Pasteurellosis: I have read a lot of articles about this, but from my perspective, there are always stories and narratives that drive games. One of the best forms is the single player experience you can have. What I want to say is that although there are many wonderful multiplayer-based games that are very popular, there will always be story-centric games. This can be traced back to the origin of storytelling. It has been around for a long time, and I think it will continue. I am hopeful about this because I like a great story.
iGamesNews: Are you pressured by all the discussion about the death of single player games?
Pasteurellosis: I think that the pressure from this particular topic will not be greater than the pressure we have already applied. As a new studio, set up together like “Striking Distance” and try to launch our first game. Although we had a lot of fun, everyone knows that the stakes are high. We have the opportunity to make a first impression. We hope to do well and enjoy it. We hope to enjoy the journey while trying great games. There will always be a certain degree of pressure, but I don’t have to say it must be the result of a decline in single player games.
iGamesNews: Developers like you and Schofield obviously want to work on interesting, new and different projects. Now that you work in this new studio and seem to have more freedom, do you feel relieved?
Pasteurellosis: What people are doing is exciting. This is about getting another opportunity to work with Glen. We have been working together for nearly 23 years. We walk back. Working with him again and the many people we gathered are the biggest motivation. In terms of motivation to do what we are doing, the ability to do the type of game we absolutely want is absolutely the most important. It has been a long time since this has been done, and it has to do with the journey. This is the experience of doing something with someone you like, with talented people. This will also become very interesting when you have a common vision or goal. We hope to seize this rare opportunity and bring unforgettable memories to players.
iGamesNews: What have you learned from AAA?
Pasteurellosis: Making games and such experiences are about the people you want to create games for and the people you live with. It’s too important to put people first. More specifically, you really need to respect and respect the creative process, and provide people with opportunities to do things and experiment, and see where these things go. In the end, I didn’t learn anything. The more you can listen, the more opportunities you have to learn.
iGamesNews: What was your reaction when you heard that Visceral will be closed at the end of 2017?
Pasteurellosis: I am sad. I have many good memories. We had a great time and made many great games there. Of course, when that happened, I felt sad and disappointed for my colleagues.
iGamesNews: Do you feel that the visceral torch hits a long distance? Like I said, “Callisto Protocol” has many of the same characteristics as the games you work at that studio.
Pasteurellosis: Every project is a new opportunity, and hitting distance is a new opportunity for all of us. Rather than reducing any studio, whether it’s visceral games or hitting distance games, every moment we make games should be related to this. That should be the only point. If you start to take on the heavy responsibility of the past, then you will not really honor the team and the current efforts.
