The Callisto Protocol was supposed to be a strange crossover, but this latest announcement surprised even us.

The Callisto Protocol is the new survival horror from Striking Distance Studios, the studio of Dead Space creator Glen Schofield. At the time of its announcement in 2020, it was said to be set in the PUBG universe. This seemed like a confusing crossover: the game, from what we’ve seen of it so far, looks very Dead Space-like – that is, dark, gruesome and horrific – whereas PUBG is basically a sappy battle royale where people defend their butts with frying pans. So it was weird.

Anyway, that plan has changed for reasons unknown, as Schofield revealed on Twitter today.

The Callisto Protocol is “…its own story and world,” he tweeted. “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.”

Schofield didn’t say what drove the narrative shift, and frankly, it probably doesn’t really matter because we can say “The Callisto Protocol is a PUBG game” all day long, and we’ll never be able to make a lasting, organic connection between the two. Even at best, this is nothing more than a quirky question for quiz night.

However, we can still legitimately wonder: why would Striking Distance Studios suddenly change course after jumping through all the hoops needed to justify the production as a PUBG game? Is PUBG not a drag name anymore? Striking Distance is being spun out of the PUBG Corporation? Glen is tired of explaining to people that, yes, The Callisto Protocol is seriously set in the PUBG universe, and please stop asking?

However, the good news is that one thing hasn’t changed: the game is expected to be released later this year.

Source: Twitter

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