Striking Distance Studios, the developer behind 2022's The Callisto Protocol, has revealed what is internally called Project Birdeye, a top-down spin-off set in the same universe. A small team will continue to develop the fast-paced roguelike while the rest of the studio works on another full-scale game, and we got a brief trailer showing off some stylised action.
Alongside the trailer, Striking Distance explains how the project came to be: "Last year, a small group of us began working on a passion project that was born out of our obsession with easy-to-pick up and play but fun to-master roguelikes. We love the world we created for The Callisto Protocol and want to keep playing in that sandbox – and Black Iron Prison is the perfect future-punk playground for the team's vision."
It looks pretty cool, actually, and it's refreshing to see a studio essentially pitch a game like this to its audience and solicit feedback, as it seems no one wants a repeat of what happened last time around. Billed as an "AAAA" game, The Callisto Protocol reportedly failed to meet sales expectations, resulting in layoffs at Striking Distance. Founder Glen Schofield left the studio in 2023 to "pursue new opportunities."