After last year’s excellent Dead Space remake, fans had hopes that EA would bring back the classic, sci-fi-inspired horror franchise for a new release. When Dead Space 2 didn’t see a remake, word came out that EA had pumped the brakes on the series for the moment. Now, an interview with series co-creator Glen Schofield confirms the news we’ve all feared: Dead Space has likely gone the way of the dodo.
In an interview with Dan Allen Gaming, three Dead Space devs told the story of a Dead Space 4 pitch they had made to EA. The company turned it down. While disappointed, the devs seemed to take it in stride. “The industry is in a weird place right now, and people are hesitant to take chances on things,” Christopher Stone said. “Take it with a grain of salt. Who knows? Maybe one day. I think we’d all love to do it.”
To that statement, Schofield replied, “Yeah. We’ve got some ideas.”
Despite the love gamers have for the franchise, the Dead Space remake underperformed in terms of sales. EA is wary of investing the money for a new entry — especially one that would come to next-gen consoles and would likely have a higher production budget than before — when it isn’t totally sure of the game’s earning potential.
Those fears are rooted in fact. The Callisto Protocol, a follow-up to Dead Space in every way but name only, didn’t sell as much as expected. In fact, it was met with mediocre reviews from both fans and critics and low sales numbers.
After the addition of the intensity director system into the remake, the Dead Space franchise is perfectly positioned to make use of this hair-raising feature in further titles. The fact that a fourth entry isn’t on the way is a disappointment, but we can hope that the series eventually returns.
