Last month, Electronic Arts (EA) formally denied recent claims suggesting that a remake of Dead Space 2 was in development but subsequently canceled. A spokesperson for EA stated, “We typically do not address rumors, but there is no truth to this story.” Even though the news of that a cancellation didn’t take place and brought a sigh of relief to Dead Space fans, further reports since then have claimed that Dead Space 2 was allegedly never even considered for the remake treatment beyond minor initial internal discussions.
This announcement follows statements made by Jeff Grubb, who asserted that EA Motive had been working on initial concepts for a possible Dead Space 2 remake (the concept stage is before even the pre-development phase). According to Grubb, the project was allegedly halted due to underwhelming sales of the 2023 Dead Space remake. However, it has since been clarified that EA Motive reportedly never advanced to the pre-development phase for a Dead Space 2 remake and rather, opted for a potential new installment in the franchise instead. Unfortunately, that too seems to have shelved for the time being and nothing is moving forward at all for Dead Space as a franchise.
In an article published by Bloomberg, journalist Jason Schreier corroborated EA’s position, revealing that while EA Motive did spend a few months brainstorming ideas for a new installment in the Dead Space series, possibly a DS4, none were approved, and the concepts “fizzled before they could get very far.” This was partly attributed to the Dead Space remake allegedly failing to meet internal performance targets, though this seems to be disputed among sources who claim otherwise. Subsequently, the team pivoted to other initiatives, with most developers who worked on the 2023 Dead Space Remake moving on to different projects. Schreier further noted on X (formerly Twitter) that the “primary aim was for a new game, not a remake of Dead Space 2,” although both were considered. He concluded that “Dead Space is now on ice once again,” indicating that the franchise may remain dormant for the foreseeable future.
In April 2024, EA announced the formation of a new team within Motive, led by Dead Space Remake developers Roman Campos-Oriola and Philippe Ducharme. This team will support both single-player and multiplayer objectives for the Battlefield Universe. Motive also emphasized that their plans for an Iron Man game remain a significant priority and that development is progressing well. No further details about the future of the Dead Space franchise have been provided as of May 2024.
Fans of the Dead Space franchise span far and wide across the globe and have since expressed their displeasure with this news. EA, not necessarily known for their pro-consumer habits, has been the subject of scrutiny for their choices in not continuing with a possible Dead Space 4 nor moving forward with remaking Dead Space 2 and putting the franchise back on the shelf. Many users on Reddit have pointed out that this scenario seems all too familiar with “history repeating itself“, in regards to Visceral Games, the dev team behind the original Dead Space. Visceral, which has since been closed down due to EA’s poor choices, went on to make Battlefield 3: Endgame and Battlefield Hardline, two games that were moderately to poorly received by fans. This came immediately following the disappointing launch of Dead Space 3, which was heavily criticized due to EA’s insistence on including microtransactions, a move that is largely attributed to the death of the Dead Space franchise until last year’s remake.
The Dead Space Remake, which launched in early 2023, garnered positive reviews for its enhanced visuals and innovative expansions on the original game scoring high on the charts and a 9/10 here at Geek Outpost. Fans had hoped this success would lead to a remake of Dead Space 2, a title highly regarded by its audience or a possible Dead Space 4. However, for now, Motive appears to be concentrating on Battlefield and Iron Man projects leaving fans eager for a glimmer of hope that the Dead Space franchise isn’t all but gone for good. Only time will tell, but we aren’t holding our breath.
