As announced via the game's official Twitter account, The Callisto Protocol has gone gold, meaning that core development is finished and the game is ready to be printed onto discs for its physical release. Though this doesn't totally erase the possibility of a delay, it makes it much less likely. The tweet itself confidently mentions the title's previously stated release date of December 2 of this year.This announcement is particularly noteworthy given a prior, now-deleted tweet by Glen Schofield, CEO of the development team, Striking Distance Studios, in which Schofield claimed the team was working 12 to 15-hour days, six to seven days a week, and working through sickness as well. Many assumed this overtime was due to the team struggling to reach its slated release date and having to overcompensate for it. This is why fan concern regarding a delay was rampant, but gamers can rest a little easier now that the game has gone gold.
When it comes to why the team was, and is, working so hard the get its game released in December, many point to another highly anticipated title in the survival-horror genre, the Dead Space remake, which launches on January 27 of next year. The Callisto Protocol is considered by many to be a spiritual successor to the original Dead Space, as Schofield directed the 2008 title back when he was at EA.
The Dead Space remake is being helmed by Motive Studio, which recently put out an eight-minute gameplay trailer showing off the game's new visuals and features. It further showcased how the game's remaking will go beyond visuals and presentation, but will also upgrade features and gameplay. Motive Studio is the EA-owned development team behind 2020's Star Wars: Squadrons and which is also currently working on a AAA single-player Iron Man game.
Striking Distance Studios likely wanted to assure that The Callisto Protocol came out before the remake of Dead Space. Given that both projects are third-person survival-horror games set in space, they'll undoubtedly be targeting a similar audience. The team also recently confirmed that the game would have a performance mode on consoles in which it would run at 60 fps. This was a clear reference to the recent backlash Gotham Knights faced because it was locked to 30fps on consoles.