The Callisto Protocol fans are calling the Final Transmission DLC ending "IP abandonment"

The Callisto Protocol DLC, The Final Transmission, is here, and fans want it sent right back.

Now that the 48-hour exclusivity window for PS4 and PS5 users has ended, more players are getting their hands on the new slab of content for The Callisto Protocol. The gameplay is reviewing from 'whatever' to 'fine', though it's the ending that has everyone coming together in a collective 'what the hell was that'?

Naturally, we're going to be discussing some spoilers from here on out, so take this as your chance to peace out if you want to experience that all first.

Righto, once you finish fighting a rather gruesome form of Dr. Caitlyn Mahler, you can go through an extended cutscene sequence if you get the secret ending. Fans are still trying to piece together what it all means, though the more finite points are that the whole DLC was a hallucination and that the protagonist people had hoped to see live is dead.

"I didn't like the fact that they left a cliffhanger, getting me excited to be able to play Jacob again in the future and them just simply killing him off, and not just killing him off, but killing him off in the most stupid way possible," one fan says.

Another says; "The Callisto Protocol story DLC was honestly embarrassing. Same boring combat loop, no music for most of it, extremely predictable story twist, two actual cutscenes, and a horrible ending that felt like IP abandonment. Sad to see a game I had such hype for end up this way."

The feeling of 'IP abandonment' is a popular sentiment among fans, with plenty fearing that this is it for The Callisto Protocol.

Even before the DLC launched, its would-be narrative has been a consistent point of debate. Speaking to MP1st about The Final Transmission, Striking Distance boss Glen Schofield says that "in terms of narrative, we had a pretty strong vision, but we definitely took player feedback to heart."

He continues; "I don't want to give anything away, but we've made a few bold choices in the story that I hope the community will really find satisfying. I can't wait to hear from players once the game is live."

The Callisto Protocol review: "An impressive game derailed by unforgiving combat"

I joined GamesRadar+ in May 2022 following stints at PCGamesN and PocketGamer.Biz, with some freelance for Kotaku UK, RockPaperShotgun, and VG24/7 thrown in for good measure. When I'm not running the news team on the games side, you'll find me putting News Editor duties to one side to play the hottest JRPG of 20 years ago or pillaging the depths of Final Fantasy 14 for a swanky new cloak – the more colourful, the better.