The characters were said to violate a variety of taboos, with Satomi specifically creating one that the team were initially wanting to avoid. The title stems from the psychological term "Caligula effect", referring to the want to see and do prohibited things. Despite its prominence and tying into the gameplay experience, the word itself is not mentioned within the game's context. The game was first announced on February 23, 2016 in that week's issue of "Famitsu", along with its release date. At the time it was announced, it was said to be 50% complete. A teaser trailer and the first screenshots was released soon after the initial announcement. The game was released by FuRyu for the PlayStation Vita in Japan on June 23, 2016, and was released by Atlus USA in North America on May 2, 2017, and in Europe on May 9. Initially, Atlus USA did not rule out a physical release of "The Caligula Effect" through Limited Run Games, but eventually decided against it. An anime adaptation, "Caligula", premiered in Japan in April 2018. In November 2017, a remake titled "The Caligula Effect: Overdose" was announced. It was released in Japan for the PlayStation 4 on May 18, 2018, and by NIS America for the PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows in North America on March 12, 2019, and in Europe on March 15, 2019. The remake features upgraded visuals using Unreal Engine 4, a new playable protagonist, new endings, and more supporting characters. "The Caligula Effect" received" mixed or average reviews" from critics, according to review aggregator Metacritic. "Famitsu" scored the game a 30 out of 40 rating, with an 8/7/8/7 out of 10 breakdown among the four reviewers. Josh Tolentino from Destructoid gave the game 4/10, praising the fresh idea and the battle system of the game, but criticized the shallow character bonding system, the long length of battles and the poor performance of the game on the PlayStation Vita. It was the second best selling video game in Japan during its opening week, with 31,243 copies sold. During its second week, it dropped to eleventh place, with an additional 7,289 copies sold. The PlayStation 4 version sold 20,399 copies within its first week on sale in Japan, placing it at first on the all format sales chart.