In 2008, Dead Space was released, introducing the gaming community to Isaac Clarke, an engineer forced to battle mutated creatures aboard a spacecraft. Immediately, Dead Space made a tremendous impact, winning numerous awards and achieving significant revenue. Dead Space became one of the prominent names in the survival horror genre.
It came as no surprise when EA launched Dead Space 2 in 2011, three years after the original release. The game continued the success of its predecessor. However, in 2013, with the release of Dead Space 3, fans began to voice their concerns as EA seemed to prioritize profit over the essence of the Dead Space series. The once-distinctive qualities of Dead Space began to fade, replaced by elements aimed at extracting more from gamers’ wallets.
Despite EA’s claims that Dead Space remained an important IP, there has been no word on Dead Space 4 or any new installment. Has EA consigned the franchise to the annals of history?
Dead Space 3 had disappointing sales.
One of the reasons EA is willing to sideline the next installment of the Dead Space series is due to the poor sales performance of Dead Space 3. In an interview, Frank Gibeau, former president of EA, stated: “You need to get about 5 million in to continue to invest in an IP like Dead Space.” This is a euphemistic way of saying that if a game doesn’t sell 5 million copies, it’s just a waste of EA’s time and effort.
Indeed, Dead Space 3 fell short of EA’s expectations. In its first week of release, Dead Space 2 even managed to sell over 2 million copies, nearly double that of the original game. Conversely, Dead Space 3 only managed to ship just over 600,000 copies. While the game still topped the best-selling charts in February 2013, it wasn’t enough to satisfy EA.
The revenue failure of Dead Space 3 also contributed to EA’s decreased revenue compared to the previous year. This was significant enough to prompt the retirement of the Dead Space franchise.
Dead Space 3 also did not receive positive reviews.
Some games, despite falling short of revenue expectations, at least receive positive reviews from the community. However, Dead Space 3 did not. The game not only had lower-than-expected sales but also failed to resonate with both the gaming community and industry professionals alike.
The original Dead Space received average review scores of 86% (PC version) and 89% (Xbox 360 version) according to Metacritic. Dead Space 2 performed even better with an average score of 87% to 90%.
Moving on to Dead Space 3, the game received a score of 78%. According to Metacritic, this score isn’t necessarily bad as the average video game score falls within the 70 to 75% range. Critics still praised the visuals and sound design of Dead Space 3. However, they criticized the game for deviating from the Survival Horror direction and focusing more on Action.
The creators of Dead Space have moved on to other projects
Glen Schofield, the creator of Dead Space, left Visceral and Electronic Arts in 2009 to establish his own company, which is Sledgehammer Games. Wright Bagwell, the lead designer of Dead Space and the creative director of Dead Space 2, joined Zynga in 2011. Steve Papoutsis, the vice president and executive producer of Visceral, as well as the project director of the Dead Space series, departed EA in 2015.
In other words, key figures who contributed significantly to the creation of Dead Space have moved on to pursue other projects. Additionally, Visceral Games was shut down in October 2017. This came as a result of the studio’s desire to develop a narrative-driven game, while EA aimed for a more open-world and monetizable project.
The demise of Visceral Games signaled that Dead Space would never return. Or if it does, it may not be the same franchise that fans once knew.
Dead Space 3 no longer has the elements that made the entire franchise famous
The first two installments of Dead Space left players feeling haunted and terrified as the protagonist faced the horrors alone. However, Dead Space 3 took a different approach. EA aimed to broaden the game’s audience (to increase profitability) and introduced a co-op mode into the campaign. Suddenly, Isaac had a companion in the form of a generic soldier named John Carver, who lacked a distinct personality and was merely a placeholder.
The tightness of each mission, the suffocating atmosphere in each level, all seemed to fade away in Dead Space 3. Instead, players likened Dead Space 3 to the shooter game Lost Planet rather than a horror experience. The third installment lost the tension of the horror setting, replaced by mundane shooting sequences alongside a co-op partner.
This shift is understandable as Dead Space 3 debuted in 2013, but the passionate individuals who crafted the series from the beginning had already departed. Consequently, the third installment veered away from the trajectory Dead Space was originally on. These new individuals couldn’t possibly replace or inherit the passion, unique understanding, and horror essence of the Dead Space series.
Maybe a reboot or changing the main character would be better?
The majority of Isaac’s story was resolved after Dead Space 2, and it’s been over half a decade since the last Dead Space installment was released. Perhaps a complete series reboot or replacing it with a new character’s story would be better than a continuation. Even the creators of the franchise may agree with this approach.
When talking to Eurogamer, Ben Wanat – the Creative Director of Dead Space, admitted that he always imagined Ellie Langford, the only one capable of inheriting the main role from Isaac, for the next Dead Space. Wanat believes that some designers at EA may be able to revive the franchise.
“I think the Dead Space universe is big enough for future installments, new stories, or new ideas,” Wanat shared. He also added that as long as the developers stay true to the core of the series, whatever changes come in future installments should be welcomed.
While these are the words of the creative director, it’s worth taking a closer look. Visceral has disbanded, the people who created Dead Space from the beginning have moved on to find new directions, Dead Space 3 has deviated and failed to garner positive responses from the community, revenue has declined, criticisms have increased, … In reality, it’s very challenging for EA to think about another Dead Space game.
However, as you mentioned, Resident Evil 2 Remake and Resident Evil 7 are still successful even without Shinji Mikami. We can still hope for a Dead Space reboot or even a Metal Gear reboot if they find capable inheritors of the old glory in a new way. Isn’t that right?
