A cheeky exchange between Xbox Era's Nick Baker and Windows Central's Jez Corden on Twitter has sparked speculation about a potential remaster of the Dead Space trilogy. Though the shuttering of developer Visceral Games by Electronic Arts in 2017 crushed expectations of a sequel coming any time soon, fans of the cult-classic sci-fi horror series have held on to hope for a remaster of the trilogy on newer hardware.
The three mainline Dead Space games were published by EA and developed by the now defunct Visceral Games (formerly EA Redwood Shores) for the Xbox 360 and PS3. Fans of the series generally prefer 2008's Dead Space and 2011's Dead Space 2 over 2013's Dead Space 3, as the latter is criticized for straying too far from the survival horror genre into more of an action style. Despite contemporary critique, however, players have longed for any sort of Dead Space attention since EA definitively abandoned the franchise when it closed Visceral in 2017. During an interview in 2018, former creative director Ben Wanat discussed what Dead Space 4 would have looked like and referenced EA's disappointment with its investment versus return as the cause of the series' retirement.
A Twitter exchange between notable Xbox pundits and insiders Nick Baker (Shpeshal_Nick) and Jez Corden on June 4 prompted speculation about whether Corden was teasing a potential Dead Space remaster. Baker posted, "You know, the more I’ve been thinking about it, the more I think Dead Space has a chance of coming back in some way. Whether via Remasters or a sequel. Or hopefully both," to which Corden responded, "That WOULD BE PRETTY COOL WOULDN'T IT NICK? You know. If it was ACTUALLY HAPPENING MAYBE? That would be PRETTY COOL." Even Corden's podcast cohost Rand al Thor 19 replied with a GIF of Michael Scott exclaiming "This is real!" In a subsequent response regarding the exchange, Corden notes, "Lolol I'm just screwing with Nick. .... Or am I..." The response also includes a GIF of the witch from Snow White laughing as she recedes into a hole.
Although Corden, Baker, and Rand al Thor possess unreported industry knowledge that they sometimes leak online, this exchange seems like Corden simply making a playful jab at Baker. It's unlikely EA would have made any progress on a Dead Space remaster so soon after it was able to release a remaster of the much more popular Mass Effect trilogy. Dead Space 4 is even less likely. EA would want to test the demand for the franchise with a remaster first, just like it's doing for Mass Effect, and just like Activision did with the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy.
Fans of Dead Space have hope, however. EA's strategy has shifted recently from a reliance on multiplayer games to an increased focus on single-player experiences. This shift is largely due to Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order outperforming EA's expectations while games like Anthem underperformed. In February, EA opted to cancel the multiplayer component of the upcoming Dragon Age 4, and a proper remaster of the Mass Effect trilogy released in May. All of this suggests a favorable change in attitude toward critically acclaimed, single-player experiences.
The question still remains whether EA thinks revisiting Dead Space will be worthwhile financially. Perhaps adjustments to investment approach and sales expectations mean that fans will receive an eagerly anticipated next-gen remaster. While players wait to see what EA does in the coming months and years, Xbox users can still play the backwards compatible versions of the Dead Space games on Xbox One and Series X|S.
Source: Jez Corden/Twitter, Rand al Thor 19/Twitter, Jez Corden/Twitter
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