There should be a Callisto Protocol 2, says Dead Space creator Glen Schofield: “we had to cut two and a half bosses”

Former Striking Distance CEO shares details of cut material, disagreements with Krafton and Covid losses

Image credit:Krafton

Dead Space developer and Striking Distance co-founder Glen Schofield left Striking Distance last September, following lower-than-hoped sales and mixed reviews for the studio’s debut project The Callisto Protocol . Now, he’s back to share a little about the horror game’s difficult development, offering details of cut materials, a complicated relationship with parent company Krafton, the impact of Covid, and abandoned plans for a sequel.

The interview in question is with Youtuber Dan Allen . While more appreciative than critical, it’s a long, candid chat that’s worth watching in full if you’re interested in the game. I’ve put together some highlights.

Striking Distance were founded in 2019 as part of Krafton’s efforts to establish revenue streams beyond their legendary battle royale Plunkbat, aka PUBG: Battlegrounds . The Callisto Protocol began life as a game in the PUBG universe but eventually became its own thing, heavily inspired by Dead Space. It was a tough project from the outset. “We started off with a new studio, a new company, a new IP, a new everything,” Schofield recalled to Allen. “And then we’re six months into it, and they say, by the way, there’s new consoles. They actually thought, let’s just switch to PS5, and I said well that’s a magnitude harder. We’re talking millions of dollars more.”

Nonetheless, Schofield said the relationship between Striking Distance and Krafton was positive at first. “I really liked working with them for the first couple of years. It was really the last year or so [before I left] - we went public and it put an awful strain on the company, the board of directors and everybody else, and then they put the strain on us.”

Amongst other things, Schofield feels he was deceived about how much time Striking Distance had to finish the game, which led to impractical project scoping. “I wanted about three and a half more months, and I was led to believe for about three months, four months that that’s the way it was going to be,” he said. “Actually in October or September of ‘21, I was told that, you know, you’re going to get the time - just, ’no regrets’. That was the term that kept being used, ’no regrets’. Just put whatever you want into the game.”

Buoyed by this encouragement, Schofield and other Striking Distance devs spent the Xmas 2021 holiday working on the game - “just designing, coming up with other ideas with some of the guys. And January comes around and some of the [Krafton] folks come over and they just said, ’no, no, no, no - it’s December of 2022’.

“And I was like, it’s not going to get done and it’s going to cost you more money. It’s not like it costs you less money because you’re getting it out three months sooner, no. Because if I just kept it on the way it was going, I wouldn’t have to add anybody. But if you want it done, I got to accelerate everything by three and a half months, which means I need to jam people on here - if I need 20 people, I actually need to get 30 or 40, because that learning curve will not adjust.”

In hindsight, Schofield says he should have “put my foot down on not shipping it”, to the point of challenging Krafton to take away control of the company. “If you want the game to ship, come take over the studio and ship it. Sometimes you don’t know who you are, and four or five years ago I was like, who am I, telling these guys I’m not going to ship it. I should have, absolutely.”

Schofield certainly isn’t without fault amid all this. In October 2022, he boasted on Xitter about Striking Distance staff working “6-7 days a week”. Schofield subsequently apologised in an interview with Inverse for making his employees crunch on the game, and promised to keep healthier working hours in future. I’d be interested to get some perspective on his management tactics from other members of Striking Distance, former or current.

The Callisto Protocol met with iffy verdicts at launch , not least thanks to technical problems on PC. In the wake of its release, Schofield says that Striking Distance and Krafton essentially stopped talking to each other. “As we’re making DLC, I kid you not, they started ignoring me. The game came out December 2nd. As we’re making DLC, I’m telling the team to start patching - I’m going to go out to the community, I’m going to ask them for help. We know what we want to put in the game, and we’re just going to patch it. And so we just kept patching. And Krafton weren’t talking to us - they were just like, where’s the DLC? We did 86 patches, and in three and a half months, that’s what we needed. And on PlayStation Network it kicked ass. The reviews were really good.”

According to Schofield, Krafton lacked the experience as a company to nurture an original videogame property beyond PUBG. “What new IPs need around them is some steady guys, but the truth is they were so new at the time - they didn’t have any new evergreen-type games”. He feels it’s absurd that Krafton haven’t (that we know of) greenlit a sequel, given the amount that had to be chopped from The Callisto Protocol during development. “The fact they’re not making it is ridiculous, because Callisto, we had to cut two and a half bosses out of it. I mean, I had to cut like three or four enemies out of it.”

Some of these cuts were brought about not by Krafton’s release schedule but staff sickness during the on-going Covid pandemic. “America lost 1.2 million people, right?” Schofield said. “This wasn’t like ‘oh, they’re getting sick’. One of my best friends, my college roommate died. We all lost people.

“On top of that, when someone got sick, and inevitably you have a studio of 200-250 people, 10 to 20 people a month were getting sick, and they were getting sick for weeks, right? We were devastated. It was sometimes our whole department of VFX would be out, our animation department.” Differences between how the US and South Korean governments handled the pandemic exacerbated communication difficulties with Krafton. “When I would call in Korea they’re not having that problem, right? You know, we don’t follow rules as well maybe [in the USA]? I don’t know what it is, but we have a bigger country, you know, it doesn’t matter.

“We lost a lot of people. We went through hell, and then on top of that in ‘21, we had the ‘great resignation’. We had 49 people quit on top of that. Because everybody’s paying through the roof, and so people are leaving for $10,000 more, and they don’t have to leave their house - all they got to do is turn in their equipment, and in most cases, we tell them you can keep the equipment. 2021 was the worst year in development of my life, because you had Covid going on, you had the great resignation going on. I did not even think we’d get the game done. And we’re cutting stuff to get it out. We added some stuff back in in the end. Freed up some time - not time, freed up some people. But you’re right, there should be a sequel.”

Schofield’s abandoned plans for the sequel include a story concept featuring side character Dani Nakamura as lead. Another scenario would have brought back the original game’s Jacob, who was voice-acted by Josh Duhamel. “I wanted to bring back Josh and but I actually wanted to to act like he was dead, and start off with a different character and then halfway through this character dies, and then they’re like ‘well, we know one guy’ and then you surprisingly bring him back,” Schofield said.

I wasn’t a huge fan of The Callisto Protocol myself, but I am automatically enthused for anything that whiffs of Dead Space, and I’m sorry to hear that development of the game was such an ordeal. Again, though, I’d like to get some perspective beyond Schofield’s on the making of the game.

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The Callisto Protocol

PS5 , Xbox Series X/S , PC

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All 75 Arc Raiders Blueprints and where to get them

These areas have the highest chance of giving you Blueprints

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Looking for more Arc Raiders Blueprints? It’s a special day when you find a Blueprint, as they’re among the most valuable items in Arc Raiders. If you find a Blueprint that you haven’t already found, then you must make sure you hold onto it at all costs, because Blueprints are the key to one of the most important and powerful systems of meta-progression in the game.

This guide aims to be the very best guide on Blueprints you can find, starting with a primer on what exactly they are and how they work in Arc Raiders, before delving into exactly where to get Blueprints and the very best farming spots for you to take in your search.

We’ll also go over how to get Blueprints from other unlikely activities, such as destroying Surveyors and completing specific quests. And you’ll also find the full list of all 75 Blueprints in Arc Raiders on this page (including the newest Blueprints added with the Cold Snap update , such as the Deadline Blueprint and Firework Box Blueprint), giving you all the information you need to expand your own crafting repertoire.

In this guide:

• What are Blueprints in Arc Raiders?
• Full Blueprint list: All crafting recipes
• Where to find Blueprints in Arc Raiders Blueprints obtained from quests Blueprints obtained from Trials Best Blueprint farming locations

What are Blueprints in Arc Raiders?

Blueprints in Arc Raiders are special items which, if you manage to extract with them, you can expend to permanently unlock a new crafting recipe in your Workshop. If you manage to extract from a raid with an Anvil Blueprint, for example, you can unlock the ability to craft your very own Anvil Pistol, as many times as you like (as long as you have the crafting materials).

To use a Blueprint, simply open your Inventory while in the lobby, then right-click on the Blueprint and click “Learn And Consume” . This will permanently unlock the recipe for that item in your Workshop. As of the Stella Montis update, there are allegedly 75 different Blueprints to unlock - although only 68 are confirmed to be in the game so far. You can see all the Blueprints you’ve found and unlocked by going to the Workshop menu, and hitting “R” to bring up the Blueprint screen.

It’s possible to find duplicates of past Blueprints you’ve already unlocked. If you find these, then you can either sell them, or - if you like to play with friends - you can take it into a match and gift it to your friend so they can unlock that recipe for themselves. Another option is to keep hold of them until the time comes to donate them to the Expedition.

Full Blueprint list: All crafting recipes

Below is the full list of all the Blueprints that are currently available to find in Arc Raiders, and the crafting recipe required for each item:

Note: The missing Blueprints in this list likely have not actually been added to the game at the time of writing, because none of the playerbase has managed to find any of them. As they are added to the game, I will update this page with the most relevant information so you know exactly how to get all 75 Arc Raiders Blueprints.

Where to find Blueprints in Arc Raiders

Below is a list of all containers, modifiers, and events which maximise your chances of finding Blueprints:

• Certain quests reward you with specific Blueprints .
• Completing Trials has a high chance of offering Blueprints as rewards.
• Surveyors have a decent chance of dropping Blueprints on death.
• High loot value areas tend to have a greater chance of spawning Blueprints.
• Night Raids and Storms may increase rare Blueprint spawn chances in containers.
• Containers with higher numbers of items may have a higher tendency to spawn Blueprints. As a result, Blue Gate (which has many “large” containers containing multiple items) may give you a higher chance of spawning Blueprints.
• Raider containers (Raider Caches, Weapon Boxes, Medical Bags, Grenade Tubes) have increased Blueprint drop rates. As a result, the Uncovered Caches event gives you a high chance of finding Blueprints.
• Security Lockers have a higher than average chance of containing Blueprints.
• Certain Blueprints only seem to spawn under specific circumstances: Tempest Blueprint only spawns during Night Raid events. Vulcano Blueprint only spawns during Hidden Bunker events. Jupiter and Equaliser Blueprints only spawn during Harvester events.

Raider Caches, Weapon Boxes, and other raider-oriented container types have a good chance of offering Blueprints. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blueprints have a very low chance of spawning in any container in Arc Raiders, around 1-2% on average. However, there is a higher chance of finding Blueprints in particular container types. Specifically, you can find more Blueprints in Raider containers and security lockers.

Beyond this, if you’re looking for Blueprints you should focus on regions of the map which are marked as having particularly high-value loot. Areas such as the Control Tower in Dam Battlegrounds, the Arrival and Departure Buildings in Spaceport, and Pilgrim’s Peak in Blue Gate all have a better-than-average chance of spawning Blueprints somewhere amongst all their containers. Night Raids and Electromagnetic Storm events also increase the drop chances of certain Blueprints .

In addition to these containers, you can often loot Blueprints from destroyed Surveyors - the largest of the rolling ball ARC. Surveyors are more commonly found on the later maps - Spaceport and Blue Gate - and if one spawns in your match, you’ll likely see it by the blue laser beam that it casts into the sky while “surveying”.

Surveyors are quite well-armoured and will very speedily run away from you once it notices you, but if you can take one down then make sure you loot all its parts for a chance of obtaining certain unusual Blueprints.

Blueprints obtained from quests

One way in which you can get Blueprints is by completing certain quests for the vendors in Speranza. Some quests will reward you with a specific item Blueprint upon completion, so as long as you work through all the quests in Arc Raiders, you are guaranteed those Blueprints.

Here is the full list of all Blueprints you can get from quest rewards:

• Trigger Nade Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Sparks Fly”.
• Lure Grenade Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Greasing Her Palms”.
• Burletta Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Industrial Espionage”.
• Hullcracker Blueprint (and Launcher Ammo Blueprint): Rewarded after completing “The Major’s Footlocker”.

Alas, that’s only 4 Blueprints out of a total of 75 to unlock, so for the vast majority you will need to find them yourself during a raid. If you’re intent on farming Blueprints, then it’s best to equip yourself with cheap gear in case you lose it, but don’t use a free loadout because then you won’t get a safe pocket to stash any new Blueprint you find. No pain in Arc Raiders is sharper than failing to extract with a new Blueprint you’ve been after for a dozen hours already.

One of the best ways to get Blueprints is by hitting three stars on all five Trials every week. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blueprints obtained from Trials

One of the very best ways to get Blueprints is as rewards for completing Trials in Arc Raiders. Trials are unlocked from Level 15 onwards, and allow you to earn rewards by focusing on certain tasks over the course of several raids. For example, one Trial might task you with dealing damage to Hornets, while another might challenge you to loot Supply Drops.

Trials refresh on a weekly basis, with a new week bringing five new Trials. Each Trial can offer up to three rewards after passing certain score milestones, and it’s possible to receive very high level loot from these reward crates - including Blueprints. So if you want to unlock as many Blueprints as possible, you should make a point of completing as many Trials as possible each week.

Best Blueprint farming locations

The very best way to get Blueprints is to frequent specific areas of the maps which combine high-tier loot pools with the right types of containers to search. Here are my recommendations for where to find Blueprints on every map, so you can always keep the search going for new crafting recipes to unlock.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Dam Battlegrounds

The best places to farm Blueprints on Dam Battlegrounds are the Control Tower, Power Generation Complex, Ruby Residence, and Pale Apartments . The first two regions, despite only being marked on the map as mid-tier loot, contain a phenomenal number of containers to loot. The Control Tower can also contain a couple of high-tier Security Lockers - though of course, you’ll need to have unlocked the Security Breach skill at the end of the Survival tree.

There’s also a lot of reporting amongst the playerbase that the Residential areas in the top-left of the map - Pale Apartments and Ruby Residence - give you a comparatively strong chance of finding Blueprints. Considering their size, there’s a high density of containers to loot in both locations, and they also have the benefit of being fairly out of the way. So you’re more likely to have all the containers to yourself.

Buried City

The best Blueprint farming locations on Buried City are the Santa Maria Houses, Grandioso Apartments, Town Hall, and the various buildings of the New District . Grandioso Apartments has a lower number of containers than the rest, but a high chance of spawning weapon cases - which have good Blueprint drop rates. The others are high-tier loot areas, with plenty of lootable containers - including Security Lockers.

Spaceport

The best places to find Blueprints on Spaceport are the Arrival and Departure Buildings, as well as Control Tower A6 and the Launch Towers . All these areas are labelled as high-value loot regions, and many of them are also very handily connected to one another by the Spaceport wall, which you can use to quickly run from one area to the next. At the tops of most of these buildings you’ll find at least one Security Locker, so this is an excellent farming route for players looking to find Blueprints.

The downside to looting Blueprints on Spaceport is that all these areas are hotly contested, particularly in Duos and Squads. You’ll need to be very focused and fast in order to complete the full farming route.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blue Gate

Blue Gate tends to have a good chance of dropping Blueprints, potentially because it generally has a high number of containers which can hold lots of items; so there’s a higher chance of a Blueprint spawning in each container. In my experience, the best Blueprint farming spots on Blue Gate are Pilgrim’s Peak, Raider’s Refuge, the Ancient Fort, and the Underground Complex beneath the Warehouse .

All of these areas contain a wealth of containers to loot. Raider’s Refuge has less to loot, but the majority of the containers in and around the Refuge are raider containers, which have a high chance of containing Blueprints - particularly during major events.

Stella Montis

On the whole, Stella Montis seems to have a very low drop rate for Blueprints (though a high chance of dropping other high-tier loot). If you do want to try farming Blueprints on this map, the best places to find Blueprints in Stella Montis are Medical Research, Assembly Workshop, and the Business Center . These areas have the highest density of containers to loot on the map.

In addition to this, the Western Tunnel has a few different Security Lockers to loot, so while there’s very little to loot elsewhere in this area of the map, it’s worth hitting those Security Lockers if you spawn there at the start of a match.

That wraps up this primer on how to get all the Blueprints in Arc Raiders as quickly as possible. With the Expedition system constantly resetting a large number of players’ Blueprints, it’s more important than ever to have the most up-to-date information on where to find all these Blueprints.

While you’re here, be sure to check out our Arc Raiders best guns tier list , as well as our primers on the best skills to unlock and all the different Field Depot locations on every map.

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ARC Raiders

PS5 , Xbox Series X/S , PC

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