According to Eurogamer, EA has confirmed that while no one is currently working on a Dead Space 4, the franchise is not dead. We heard back in March that the franchise had been canned due to the poor sales figures of Dead Space 3 but this week at E3, EA Games Label boss Patrick Söderlund clarified that the rumors.
“I wouldn’t say it’s [Dead Space franchise] cancelled at all,” Söderlund said. “Dead Space remains a brand that is close to Electronic Arts’ heart. It’s been a great brand for us done by a very passionate team. Is that team working on a Dead Space game today? No they’re not. They’re working on something else very exciting. You have to think of it from that perspective. Is it better to put them on the fourth version of a game they’ve done three previous versions of before? Or is it better to put them on something new that they want to build, that they have passion for?”
“I am of the utmost opinion that we have to put the best possible games in the hands of our fans. How you get to a great game, the first thing you need is a great development team that have a passion for building what they’re building. That’s a simple parameter. Everything else follows. Money, time, everything else follows. It’s less relevant. That’s ultimately how you get success. It’s as simple as that.”
“Will there be another Dead Space game? Who knows? Have we killed it? No, of course not. But right now that dev team is focused on something else that you and other gamers will be very happy with.”
At this stage, I don’t see a Dead Space 4 happening. And even if it does happen, it won’t be for a long time. EA clearly has other priorities and creating another sequel for a franchise that isn’t selling very well isn’t too high up on their list of things to do.
Though they say that they haven’t “killed it,” I can’t see the chances of another entry into the series being that high. The last game didn’t sell well, plain and simple. EA is in the business to make money and that’s where they are going to focus their efforts, where the money is.
By saying that the franchise isn’t dead, I really think that Söderlund is just trying to save face with fans of the franchise. Don’t hold your breath for another Dead Space game, folks, it probably won’t be happening.
What do you think? Will we ever see a Dead Space 4?