Dead Space isn't Dead, Just Resting.

[IanDavis]

Dead Space isn't Dead, Just Resting.

The action-horror francise will take a breather as the developers pursue other ideas.

Back in March, a [a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/122502-Update-Rumor-Poor-Sales-May-Have-Killed-Dead-Space]rumor[/a] floated around that the Dead Space franchise, along with its developer, Visceral Games, had died, killed by low sales. Both EA and Visceral themselves responded to the twitter-based report, calling it "patently false." That said, there's no Dead Space 4 in the works at the moment, as Visceral Games pursues other projects, EA boss Patrick Söderlund told [a href=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-06-14-dead-space-isnt-dead-but-no-ones-working-on-dead-space-4-right-now-ea-confirms]Eurogamer[/a] in an interview.

As Söderlund puts it, "I wouldn't say it's [Dead Space franchise] cancelled at all." Instead, Visceral is hard at work on something else. "Is it better to put them on the fourth version of a game they've done three previous versions of before? Or is it better to put them on something new that they want to build, that they have passion for?"

"[T]he first thing you need is a great development team that have a passion for building what they're building," according to Söderlund, "Everything else follows. Money, time, everything else follows. It's less relevant. That's ultimately how you get success. It's as simple as that."

While Dead Space 4 isn't about to make an E3 appearance this year, Söderlund says that's no reason for fans to mourn: "Will there be another Dead Space game? Who knows? Have we killed it? No, of course not."

Source: [a href=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-06-14-dead-space-isnt-dead-but-no-ones-working-on-dead-space-4-right-now-ea-confirms]Eurogamer[/a]

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[Phrozenflame500]

Translation: If you guys are willing to pay more $$$ for Dead Space 4 in the future we'll make it, in the mean time we'll go on and ruin other horror franchises.

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

Y'know, on the other side of the argument, EA may be making WISER choices towards games and franchises. Perhaps they realize that beating the dead (space)horse isn't going to make them money.
I like the idea of "[putting] them on something new that they want to build..." That means EA is changing a practice.
Of course pessimism could rule and you could just spout the usual EA hate as stated above.

 

[Vie]

Sure it is boys.

 

[oldtaku]

'We need to figure out how to get this on Facebook first'

 

[Lovely Mixture]

I guess, this is what happens when you need to sell FIVE MILLLLLLLLLLLION copies to remain financially viable.

 

[thebobmaster_v1legacy]

Y'know, on the other side of the argument, EA may be making WISER choices towards games and franchises. Perhaps they realize that beating the dead (space)horse isn't going to make them money.
I like the idea of "[putting] them on something new that they want to build..." That means EA is changing a practice.
Of course pessimism could rule and you could just spout the usual EA hate as stated above.

I agree. This isn't the first news I've heard suggesting that, either. I mean, the release date for Dragon Age: Inquisition is fall of 2014. Think about that. Dragon Age II was pushed out 11 months after the original. Mass Effect 3 was better, but it was still released only 2 years after Mass Effect 2, or 1 year after if you count the PS3 port (I'm assuming different teams worked on each, hence why I'm not counting Mass Effect 3's release date as compared to that of Dragon Age II). Now, they aren't releasing Dragon Age: Inquisition until 3 years after Dragon Age II. I think EA is finally realizing that you can't rush a game and still have the right quality.

 

[CriticalMiss]

'Is the hamster Dead Space dead mummy?'
'No dear, it's just resting.'

Dead Space has already been put in an empty Malteaser box and buried in the garden. EA are just popping out to the pet shop to pick up a new franchise that looks similar to try and pass it off as the original. Possibly on mobile.

 

[BloodRed Pixel]

'Is the hamster Dead Space dead mummy?'
'No dear, it's just resting.'

Dead Space has already been put in an empty Malteaser box and buried in the garden. EA are just popping out to the pet shop to pick up a new franchise that looks similar to try and pass it off as the original. Possibly on mobile.

there is already a mobile version - for iPad and it's pretty good, JFYI.

besides 'dead', yeah, you might be right.

 

[Sniper Team 4]

I hope it's not dead. You can't end the series like that (talking about the DLC ending)! I mean, come on. I'm a little sad that have to wait years to find out what happens, but I still want to know what happens. I have a rather fun idea of what they could do to tie the characters from Extraction and Severed into the main series and finally wrap it up, but we'll have to wait and see I guess.

On another note, does this mean no more DLC adventures? That sucks. I was hoping for more than just one expansion like Dead Space 2 got. Oh well.

 

[Proverbial Jon]

Was anyone actually concerned that Dead Space was... dead?

I mean it's had a pretty good three game run, it's completed the story arc and, well, it wasn't all that good of a horror game at the end anyway. It's not like stopped games mid trilogy and left us hanging.

Stop giving us sequels, we've all moved on!

 

[blackrave]

Duuuh!
Of course no game franchise and no brand stays dead forever.
I can bet my ass that even ET is "resting"

 

[WiseBass]

I hope it's not dead. You can't end the series like that (talking about the DLC ending)! I mean, come on. I'm a little sad that have to wait years to find out what happens, but I still want to know what happens. I have a rather fun idea of what they could do to tie the characters from Extraction and Severed into the main series and finally wrap it up, but we'll have to wait and see I guess.

On another note, does this mean no more DLC adventures? That sucks. I was hoping for more than just one expansion like Dead Space 2 got. Oh well.

They could still do more prequel stories and tie-ins. But I'm not sure how you'd do a story following Awakened, particularly since I believe that

Spoiler: Dead Space 3

it's not actually happening - it's just an "Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" style dying dream by Isaac Clarke as he dies after killing the Brother Moon.

In any case, I wouldn't be too sad to see a re-boot. I liked original Dead Space, which did a pretty good job of combining Survival Horror and SF Shooter into a single game, even when in thematic and game-play set-up they're contradictory. But that tension was eventually resolved by shifting it to the point where it's just a straight-up SF shooter by Dead Space 3 with some remaining horror visual elements.

 

[Coreless]

I must be one of the only people who enjoyed the game. I love how people are complaining about the lack of scares when you can only scare people with necromorphs so long and have them crawling around a dark ship before it all just starts becoming by the numbers.

I played the hell out of these games and there was no way the third game in the series was ever going to scare me like the first game its just not possible anymore, people really need to get it in their head that eventually you are just going to become immune to it.

I guarantee you if gave this game to a brand new player they will sh** their pants and probably not even be able to finish the game.

 

[Piorn]

Sure it is boys.

AHAHAHA! Nice one!

But seriously, I liked 1, 2 was meh and I skipped 3 entirely.
I can see potential in the franchise, but wouldn't mind if it just silently died.

 

[fix-the-spade]

So, they've put Dead Space in that special circle of Development Hell that Medal of Honor and Spore now inhabit, no you guys, we haven't killed the series, we're just not going to make another one this decade.

Solid job EA, solid job.

#EDIT#

So it seems that not counting digital sales on Origin, Dead Space 3 sold just under one and a quarter million copies, less than half the sales of number 2.

Forgive me for swearing, but fucking ouch! It begs the question of from who's rectum did EA pull their five million or bust forecast from?

 

[V8 Ninja]

I can understand Visceral wanting to do something different. The company has been making half-a-dozen Dead Space games in the past few years that I can easily imagine the employees becoming tired of revisiting the same concept and universe.

...However, the fact that EA said that Dead Space 3 needed to sell FIVE MILLION COPIES in order for the Dead Space franchise to be "Commercially Viable" makes me think that Dead Space isn't "Just Resting".