The credits for The Callisto Protocol reportedly left out a number of developers, with former Striking Distance employees claiming this “egregious” act affected some “really core people who built the studio up.”
The Callisto Protocol launched back in December to both positive and mixed reviews, but it seems not all of the developers appeared on the game’s credits.
GamesIndustry.biz reports talking to several former Striking Distance developers who didn’t appear on the credits for The Callisto Protocol, as well as other sources who claim that around 20 people were omitted.
“It sucks,” says one of GIBiz’s sources: “I made a good amount of contribution… to just not be there at all is shitty.” Another says the omissions included “really core people who built the studio up,” while another adds, “I understand if a contractor does a small amount of work for a few months and is left off, but we’re talking full-time employees with over a year invested in the title, and had a hand in significant parts of the product. That’s where the surprise has come from for a lot of us.”
One source claims there was “definitely some amount of playing favourites with the people who got picked… My impression is that they pretty much picked people they liked or had some sort of relationship with, and those would get credit and the others wouldn’t.”
Other GIBiz sources also discussed the idea of crunch culture. “It’s a pretty intense culture of delivering and putting in those crunch hours, which is fine… Game dev can be intense, especially delivering a product of this magnitude, you don’t always strike the best work-life balance. My issue is those of us who took part in that culture, who put in that time, and worked intensely to help craft this product, were punished with a credit omission for not going the extra mile… to stay until it shipped.” Some say that Striking Distance’s comments about crunch culture and self-care were contradictory: “There was always this misalignment, where on the surface they say one thing, and then almost always moments later say something to contradict that.”
Nevertheless, a few of these sources report having had some positive experiences at Striking Distance. “I actually had a great time working there, and I felt I had a great relationship with everyone on the team, up to the C-staff and Glen… I don’t have anything bad to say about Glen,” one says, before adding, “The only time there was some friction was on exit, and I think devs who left were punished with credit omissions.”
What are your thoughts on these reports, and on The Callisto Protocol itself? Let us know in the comments!
