EA Aims to "Broaden" Dead Space Audience

[nexus]

They're going to tank the Dead Space franchise by using the same strategy they used for Dragon Age 2. At least Dead Space tanks at a "trilogy" which is a respectable finish.

Honestly, Dead Space really grow on me the past few years. Dead Space 1 wasn't spectacular, but it was original.. and scary. Dead Space 2 wasn't as scary, but the presentation was incredible. Really, the franchise has some of the best horror atmosphere ever. So you could overlook the encroaching "action" and just soak in the atmosphere.

Now it looks like Dead Space 3 will be "all action" and will be just another shitty shooter. It will really take you out of the atmosphere, no matter how spectacular it tries to be.

 

[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

Dead Space 3 will continue to "open up the accessibility" of the game, according to EA Labels President Frank Gibeau, who told CVG that it will remain a horror game but attempt to broaden its audience through the addition of new elements like co-op gameplay.

"In general we're thinking about how we make this a more broadly appealing franchise, because ultimately you need to get to audience sizes of around five million to really continue to invest in an IP like Dead Space," he said. "Anything less than that and it becomes quite difficult financially given how expensive it is to make games and market them."

It's as though the shareholders are determined to run EA into the ground by ruining every single game/franchise they own the IP for. "Broadened Appeal" = CoD and some form of multiplayer, coop or vs (possibly with some levelling/unlock crap). EA shareholders ruined ME3 and now Dead Space is on the chopping block. And five million copies? Dude, seriously, learn to make a cheaper game! Outsource it to India/China if you have to, but that's insane.

The best games of 2011 were Deus Ex: HR and Skyrim. Neither had any multiplayer or even tried to appeal to a "broader audience". Make the best, most focused games and then we'll talk about forgiving you for ruining BioWare's games and reputation. Each time you turn something we enjoyed into a broader title, you ruin it. It's really that simple.

 

[MrBaskerville]

"I always prefer a good audience. I'd rather feed 100 percent of 10 people. Hollywood would rather feed 1 percent of 1 million people. Commercially speaking, my way is not better." - Jean Luc Godard

Hate that everything has to be for everyone, i wish they´d just lower the production costs and start making some niche games, they could probably make some great horror games and gain a lot of fans in the proces. Instead they try to please the Gears of War crowd and the horror crowd at the same time, that´s not gonna please anybody as much as if they´d just done the one or the other.

 

[Brendan Stepladder]

Well, at least EA seems to be getting crushed under the weight of its own greed. Hopefully this sends a message to other publishers who consider EA's business model.

 

[PrototypeC]

Is that a threat, EA? Well fuck you then. Better another company tries horror than give money to you!

What IS it with companies these days trying to make more "accessible" horror? I posit that there is no such thing. I posit that horror has to be a personal experience because with friends you feel a stronger chance of survival and lack of loneliness. (actually, as long as they're in the room watching you play instead of participating it can actually be still scary and fun, but I digress)

Loneliness is one of the prime core experiences you are supposed to feel with horror. It's what seperates it from other genres where people are there by default. I can't imagine a romantic comedy or a crime thriller or a sci-fi action movie without other people in it. I find it very easy to imagine a horror story with only two people or even just one person in it. The only exception to this rule I can think of is anything by Team ICO, and even then there are at least some other characters.

Loneliness can and often should include locations, and even people. Walking around a huge hall that you know at one time was full of light and activity is one way, or being far away from society, like in the arctic or deep under the earth. For people it could be finding out your one ally might be a little crazy or getting seperated from them.

Back to the main point, if companies have a survival horror series on the side, then just let it stay on the niche table. It will sell, trust me, but don't try to blow it up into something it's not. Just use your big-time marketing and distribution dollars on your multiplayer shooter that is an already popular genre if money is all you're looking for. "If you build it, they will come", you know.

 

[lapan]

Publishers fail to realize that while they try "broadening" their audience they also lose a part of their original fanbase. Not to mention that selling over 5 million is astronomic.

They already have a history of fucking their francises up like that though.

Mass Effect: Was liked for it's fusion of RPG and shooter. EA solution: remove RPG elements, make it more like a genreric shooter!
Dragon Age: Was liked for it's classical approach to RPGs. EA solution: Turn it into an Action-RPG!

and now

Dead Space: Was liked for it's horro elements and unique enemies. EA solution: Remove horror elements, make it a co-op game and have more human enemies!

 

[verdugo136]

Adding co-op to a horror game just seems retarded it's the same as Fear 3 it's not going to be scary with a friend there and mindful of the fact Dead Space isn't scary to begin with or much of a survival horror I would call this the last nail in Dead Space's coffin.

 

[SpectacularWebHead]

"5 MILLION units to keep the franchise alive."

Goodbye Dead Space, It's been fun.

"Widen Audience" = "Make it a shooter"

I hate EA soooooo muhuhuhuch.

 

[SpectacularWebHead]

"I always prefer a good audience. I'd rather feed 100 percent of 10 people. Hollywood would rather feed 1 percent of 1 million people. Commercially speaking, my way is not better." - Jean Luc Godard

"I understand your concerns, Lieutenant; and I know that if I were in your position, I would be doing the same thing - looking for answers. But you're not going to find any, because I don't have any to give you." - Jean Luc Picard.

 

[RJ Dalton]

Well, they can't make the game any less scarier than the previous two games, so why not give up trying and just turn it into a generic shooter with particularly ugly bad guys?

 

[SnakeoilSage]

*Shrug* The gameplay looks alright to me. Isaac isn't Velcroing himself to chest-high walls and the co-op looks fantastic. I get that there's a lot about EA to despise, but seriously, how many of us are bitching just for the sake of bitching like the mewling little status quo sheep we are? "They changed Dead Space! EA came and took m'babeh!"

Please. I'm buying Dead Space 3 'cause I like the series and I like the creative team behind it. They do good work considering the Atlas-ian EA bullshit they have to hold up. At least they aren't bending over for it like Bioware.

 

[Rossmallo]

Oh dear fucking christ. Sorry to quote Jim here, but these guys are now officially worse than Activision.

That being said, as long as they don't fuck up The Sims any further, I can tolerate them, but if something happens to that one last thing they're doing semi right, I'm getting out the matches.

 

[Machine Man 1992]

*Shrug* The gameplay looks alright to me. Isaac isn't Velcroing himself to chest-high walls and the co-op looks fantastic. I get that there's a lot about EA to despise, but seriously, how many of us are bitching just for the sake of bitching like the mewling little status quo sheep we are? "They changed Dead Space! EA came and took m'babeh!"

Please. I'm buying Dead Space 3 'cause I like the series and I like the creative team behind it. They do good work considering the Atlas-ian EA bullshit they have to hold up. At least they aren't bending over for it like Bioware.

We're bitching because EA is taking a promising horror franchise and turning it into a straight up shooter.

Yes, Dead Space always had shooting elements;the whole franchise is based off the fact that you can blow the limbs of multifanged beclawed monstrosities from the depth of space. But they're taking everything good about Dead Space and turning it into "Gears of Lost Planet".

You understand? EA IS TAKING THE "SPACE" OUT OF DEAD SPACE! It's not that they changed the game; hell, the second game gave Isaac a voice and a character, altered the tone a bit (as it it was less "alone in a haunted house" and more "OMG, what is wrong with you people!?"), and gave the story some much needed "oomph." EA is homogenizing the game to look like every other grey shooter.

 

[loa]

*Shrug* The gameplay looks alright to me. Isaac isn't Velcroing himself to chest-high walls and the co-op looks fantastic.

Jump to 15:00 [http://www.computerandvideogames.com/354050/video-20-minutes-of-dead-space-3/], observe isaac taking cover behind chest high walls while fighting soldier guys and wielding a goddamn assault rifle.
Looks just about fan fucking tastic, doesn't it. Cause we all know, dead space is all about enemies shooting bullets in wide open areas while isaac does the forward rolls he is known for.
Thank you for calling.

 

[Otaku World Order]

You know, I was never that big a fan of Dead Space, but at least it had a solid, creepy visual style, and some unique features. It seemed like it really could be a solid horror franchise with just a bit more polish, something that seemed to come out in the sequel...

And now that's all gone.

Thank you for that, EA. Idiots.

 

[SnakeoilSage]

*Shrug* The gameplay looks alright to me. Isaac isn't Velcroing himself to chest-high walls and the co-op looks fantastic.

Jump to 15:00 [http://www.computerandvideogames.com/354050/video-20-minutes-of-dead-space-3/], observe isaac taking cover behind chest high walls while fighting soldier guys and wielding a goddamn assault rifle.
Looks just about fan fucking tastic, doesn't it. Cause we all know, dead space is all about enemies shooting bullets in wide open areas while isaac does the forward rolls he is known for.
Thank you for calling.

I see no velcroing. Please hang up and try your call again.

 

[SnakeoilSage]

We're bitching because EA is taking a promising horror franchise and turning it into a straight up shooter.

Yes, Dead Space always had shooting elements;the whole franchise is based off the fact that you can blow the limbs of multifanged beclawed monstrosities from the depth of space. But they're taking everything good about Dead Space and turning it into "Gears of Lost Planet".

You understand? EA IS TAKING THE "SPACE" OUT OF DEAD SPACE! It's not that they changed the game; hell, the second game gave Isaac a voice and a character, altered the tone a bit (as it it was less "alone in a haunted house" and more "OMG, what is wrong with you people!?"), and gave the story some much needed "oomph." EA is homogenizing the game to look like every other grey shooter.

The thing about horror games is that, past Sequel #2, it gets near impossible to scare someone. Did you feel an over-abundance of fear in Dead Space 2? Did Resident Evil 2 even creep you out? Was there ever a moment in any Silent Hill game when you were actually scared, and not just enjoying the suspense and ominousness?

Face it, bro. You're not going to get another "Dead Space" from more Dead Space sequels. Isaac has carved his way through hordes of them. At this point, his nerves are steel, and so are ours. We're ready for them. If this feels like a generic shooter, fine, don't play it. I'm going to, because the story matters to me, and that sets it apart from the other gray shooters. It has characters and a plot I'm invested in. If all you want is jump scares and creeping around, go play Amnesia - there are tons of fan-made maps you can play to give you plenty.

One thing I would like to see is a Dead Space game without guns. Just kinesis and stasis. You use the environment to knock necromorphs back and run like hell. That'd be fun. It wouldn't be much for advancing the story, but it would give you the horror you seem to want in the setting you claim to enjoy.

 

[Machine Man 1992]

We're bitching because EA is taking a promising horror franchise and turning it into a straight up shooter.

Yes, Dead Space always had shooting elements;the whole franchise is based off the fact that you can blow the limbs of multifanged beclawed monstrosities from the depth of space. But they're taking everything good about Dead Space and turning it into "Gears of Lost Planet".

You understand? EA IS TAKING THE "SPACE" OUT OF DEAD SPACE! It's not that they changed the game; hell, the second game gave Isaac a voice and a character, altered the tone a bit (as it it was less "alone in a haunted house" and more "OMG, what is wrong with you people!?"), and gave the story some much needed "oomph." EA is homogenizing the game to look like every other grey shooter.

The thing about horror games is that, past Sequel #2, it gets near impossible to scare someone. Did you feel an over-abundance of fear in Dead Space 2? Did Resident Evil 2 even creep you out? Was there ever a moment in any Silent Hill game when you were actually scared, and not just enjoying the suspense and ominousness?

Face it, bro. You're not going to get another "Dead Space" from more Dead Space sequels. Isaac has carved his way through hordes of them. At this point, his nerves are steel, and so are ours. We're ready for them. If this feels like a generic shooter, fine, don't play it. I'm going to, because the story matters to me, and that sets it apart from the other gray shooters. It has characters and a plot I'm invested in. If all you want is jump scares and creeping around, go play Amnesia - there are tons of fan-made maps you can play to give you plenty.

One thing I would like to see is a Dead Space game without guns. Just kinesis and stasis. You use the environment to knock necromorphs back and run like hell. That'd be fun. It wouldn't be much for advancing the story, but it would give you the horror you seem to want in the setting you claim to enjoy.

Okay, first off, I'm not usually a horror fan but that idea kicks so much ass.

Secondly, I thought Dead Space the first was the only really scary one of the bunch. Most of the appeal was the atmosphere and I really liked the mythos that's been built up.

Thirdly, Dead Space doesn't need mass market appeal; horror gamers are a highly entrenched, tappable market all by themselves, EA doesn't need to make Dead Space a bland shooter out of it. They've basically hybridized the game into an indistinct grey blob of a half dozen other genres. I'm concerned it's just not going to feel like the Dead Space I fell in love with.

 

[Terminate421]

AGH!!!

FUCK EA!!!

Before I didn't give a shit at what they did. But they stabbed Dead Space right in the heart and then shat on its corpse!

It's exactly like the Alien franchise history!!!

Alien 1: Great
Aliens: Great
Alien 3: SUCKED

Dead Space 1: Great
Dead Space 2: Great
Dead Space 3: Sucked

Their reasoning? "Broaden the audience" like anyone at all pays attention to the third game in a franchise at this point. It will sell less than Dead Space 2, I'd put my life savings on that bet. Pirates don't count either.