Why There Might Never Be Another Dead Space Game

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Since 1996, the *Resident Evil* series has been the most popular horror game franchise, with *Silent Hill* as a strong runner-up. Around the mid-to-late 2000s, many new horror games emerged, all hoping to become the new leader, and in 2008, *Dead Space* finally stood out from the crowd.

Over just a few years, fans enjoyed three major *Dead Space* games, an animated film, comics, and even a spin-off game. Then, Electronic Arts stopped making *Dead Space* games for ten years. Thankfully, a remake recently arrived to positive reviews. However, the future of the series still looks uncertain. What issues is the remake facing, and could this signal the end of *Dead Space*?

Visceral Games Is No More

The OG Developers Have Moved On

The original *Dead Space* was created by EA Redwood Shores, a studio that later became known as Visceral Games. Visceral Games then went on to develop the sequels, *Dead Space 2* and *Dead Space 3*, as well as other content related to the series – essentially taking the lead on the *Dead Space* franchise with EA’s support. Beyond *Dead Space*, Visceral Games also created popular EA titles like *Dante’s Inferno*, *Army of Two: The Devil’s Cartel*, and *Battlefield Hardline*.

After releasing *Battlefield Hardline*, the studio was working on several new games, including a sequel to *Dante’s Inferno* and a *Star Wars* game codenamed “Project Ragtag.” However, all of these projects were ultimately canceled, and “Project Ragtag” was moved to EA Vancouver. This coincided with EA’s decision to close Visceral Games in 2017, a move many believe signaled a shift away from single-player games. This marked the end of the original *Dead Space* story, but unfortunately, EA Vancouver never finished their version of “Project Ragtag” either.

Glen Schofield Is Also Gone

The Creator Of The Series

While Visceral Games was the main developer of *Dead Space*, the original concept came from Glen Schofield. He considered *Dead Space* his passion project, but he left EA in 2009, shortly after the game and *The Godfather 2* were released. He then founded Sledgehammer Games with support from Activision, focusing on developing *Call of Duty* titles.

Following the 2017 release of *Call of Duty: World War 2*, Glen Schofield left Sledgehammer Games to start a new studio called Striking Distance Studios. He aimed to create a game like the original *Dead Space* with *The Callisto Protocol*, but it didn’t receive positive reviews or strong sales. Despite even the creator of *Dead Space* struggling to launch a successful spiritual successor, there’s still one group within EA that continues to support the *Dead Space* franchise.

The 2023 Remake’s Sequel

What Happened To It?

When EA Motive took charge of the *Dead Space* series, they began work on a remake that launched in 2023. The game was a huge critical success, earning a score of 89 on both Metacritic and OpenCritic – a remarkable feat for any video game. While some felt the remake didn’t take enough risks, even with a fully voiced Isaac Clarke, fans still loved it. Now, EA Motive was reportedly planning another *Dead Space* game, potentially a sequel to the remake or a complete reimagining of *Dead Space 2*.

It might seem strange, but there’s a logical reason behind it, and it would have resulted in a different outcome. EA quickly denied these claims, though some people still think they’re true. Even after Jason Schofield left and Visceral Games closed, it looked like Motive Studio was prepared to take over the project. Sadly, they seem unable to, as they must prioritize what their parent company, EA, wants. Instead, they’re now developing a major *Iron Man* game.

Space Isn’t As Grounded, Literally

More Players Can Relate To Earthly Problems

Okay, so I’ve been thinking about horror games and movies, and it seems like a lot of them stick to pretty normal settings – Earth, regular people, that kind of thing. I think it’s because it makes it easier to connect with what’s happening on screen. Like, I’m probably not going to face off against an alien clown or deal with a haunting like in *The Conjuring*, but when the story feels grounded in reality, even with all the crazy stuff happening, it’s way more believable and scary. It’s about making you think, ‘Hey, this *could* happen,’ even if it’s a long shot. Not everyone who likes a good scare is also a sci-fi or space fanatic, so keeping it real helps pull you in.

It’s more challenging to achieve lasting cultural impact with a sci-fi adventure like *Dead Space*. While the Necromorphs are memorable, they haven’t become as iconic as classic monsters like zombies or demons. This might be why *Dead Space* didn’t reach the same level of success as *Resident Evil* or *Silent Hill*, ultimately leading to lower sales and EA losing confidence in the franchise. Critical reviews aren’t always a reliable indicator of success – a poorly made game can still sell well, and a great game can unfortunately fail to find an audience.

The Rising Cost Of Games

Another Dead Space Is Risky

Motive Studio is currently developing an Iron Man game while also finalizing Battlefield 6. EA is heavily relying on Battlefield 6 being a huge success. If it doesn’t perform well, they’ll likely need to find another blockbuster title. Given that it’s been over six years since the last Iron Man movie or appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, an Iron Man game doesn’t currently seem like a guaranteed hit.

Developing games is becoming increasingly expensive, and this is worrying publishers like EA. Games are often canceled if they don’t seem likely to succeed. We recently saw Microsoft cancel several anticipated titles, including *Perfect Dark*. So, it seems risky for EA to invest millions in reviving *Dead Space* just to please fans when they could focus on guaranteed successes like *Battlefield* to satisfy investors. Ultimately, the decision about *Dead Space* likely comes down to financial considerations, making a return improbable.

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2025-09-22 19:05