Rumor: Dead Space series killed due to low sales of DS3 (denied by EA)

I'm not one of the anti-EA crowd, but EA certainly f**cked Visceral by ordering it to transform a successful survival horror series into a co-op action game. I steered clear of DS3 based on nonsense about past Dead Spaces being 'too scary' in the run-up to the release of DS3.

Its possible that even without EA's interference, DS might not have been long for this world. I love Dead Space 1 (tense, good action, nasty creatures and great boss battles) and I like Dead Space Extraction (a light gun shooter which PS3 buyers of DS2 got free, which boasts good action, great bosses and the best storytelling in the series) quite a bit but DS2 was a deep disappointment (the bosses sucked, the last three chapters were pure garbage and even those that preceded them were midl disappointments which brought nothing new and good to the table besides the awesome packhunters). Still, Its possible DS2 might have been DMC2 or MGS2, a disappointment, but not the beginning of the end, if EA hadn't gotten stupid.

This is the latest in a long and sad pattern of developers/publishers not being content with profitable niche status and going for the mainstream and losing everything.

http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/05/report-dead-space-4-canceled-after-poor-dead-space-3-sales/

EA is effectively bringing an end to the Dead Space series after canning Dead Space 4 in pre-production, VideoGamer reports. According to the site, who spoke to an anonymous source familiar with the unannounced project, the publisher terminated the development of Dead Space 4 in light of Dead Space 3 failing to achieve its sales targets.

VideoGamer's source claims EA executives informed Visceral Montreal last month of the cancelation along with details of the company's restructuring plans. Two weeks ago, EA did announce layoffs at its studios in Los Angeles and Montreal. The source also claims Dead Space 3 "was almost canceled" mid-development, and that EA told Visceral to bring in a wider audience than previous series entries did by focusing more on action than horror.

Goodbye Issac. Corporate stupidity did what the reapers couldn't.

UPDATE: EA denies the rumor and says that Dead Space is still an important IP to them. Perhaps DS4 was going to be more coop action nonsense and now they are scrapping that version and bringing it back to its horror roots? Or they just want to kill it quietly and avoid negative publicity (which EA has no shortage of). Time will tell.

UPDATE: Dino Ignacio, UI Lead at Dead Space developer Visceral Games, has denied today's story about the end of the Dead Space series.

"The reports of our death were greatly exaggerated," he tweeted. "Please stand by."

EA's US PR team has reportedly called the VideoGamer.com report "patently false".

"While we have not announced sales for Dead Space 3, we are proud of the game and the franchise remains an important IP to EA," an EA spokesperson told Eurogamer.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-03-05-ea-cans-dead-space-series-following-poor-sales-of-dead-space-3-report

visceral (who were ea redwood shores when they made the first game) KNOWS how to make the game. It would be a travesty to give it to someone else. On the other hand , the story about the marker is now complete enough to be satisfied but the gameplay is so cool to do. It would be sad to have no single ds game anymore. And it really shouldn't be made by another developer unless they can stay true to the gameplay of the first 3.

Thats sad to hear, but sequels were getting worse when it should be the other way around. Im surprised the AC series selling so well with yearly sequels, franchise fatigue will set in soon and publishers will be wondering what went wrong :|

Thats sad to hear, but sequels were getting worse when it should be the other way around. Im surprised the AC series selling so well with yearly sequels, franchise fatigue will set in soon and publishers will be wondering what went wrong :|

D3s7rUc71oN

I didn't walk away from DS2 happy but it sold quite a bit better than its predecessor did and if EA wasn't happy with the sales, they would have killed the series then. However, as Eurogamer pointed out, EA has recently resolved to focus on microtransactions and megafranchises (5,000,000+ sellers).

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-03-05-ea-cans-dead-space-series-following-poor-sales-of-dead-space-3-report

Last month EA Games Label boss Frank Gibeau confirmed layoffs at EA's Los Angeles and Montreal developers. EA has gone on the record to say its core game franchises need to sell upwards of five million copies to remain viable.

It seems Dead Space 3 suffered a somewhat troubled development. According to the report, weapon-specific ammo was switched for generic ammo late in the day to accommodate the game's controversial micro-transactions, and developer Visceral were ordered to take the series into a more action-focused direction in order to emulate BioWare's Mass Effect franchise and broaden its appeal.

[QUOTE="D3s7rUc71oN"]

Thats sad to hear, but sequels were getting worse when it should be the other way around. Im surprised the AC series selling so well with yearly sequels, franchise fatigue will set in soon and publishers will be wondering what went wrong :|

CarnageHeart

I didn't walk away from DS2 happy but it sold quite a bit better than its predecessor did and if EA wasn't happy with the sales, they would have killed the series then. However, as Eurogamer pointed out, EA has recently resolved to focus on microtransactions and megafranchises (5,000,000+ sellers).

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-03-05-ea-cans-dead-space-series-following-poor-sales-of-dead-space-3-report

Last month EA Games Label boss Frank Gibeau confirmed layoffs at EA's Los Angeles and Montreal developers. EA has gone on the record to say its core game franchises need to sell upwards of five million copies to remain viable.

It seems Dead Space 3 suffered a somewhat troubled development. According to the report, weapon-specific ammo was switched for generic ammo late in the day to accommodate the game's controversial micro-transactions, and developer Visceral were ordered to take the series into a more action-focused direction in order to emulate BioWare's Mass Effect franchise and broaden its appeal.

[QUOTE="CarnageHeart"]

[QUOTE="D3s7rUc71oN"]

Thats sad to hear, but sequels were getting worse when it should be the other way around. Im surprised the AC series selling so well with yearly sequels, franchise fatigue will set in soon and publishers will be wondering what went wrong :|

Sushiglutton

I didn't walk away from DS2 happy but it sold quite a bit better than its predecessor did and if EA wasn't happy with the sales, they would have killed the series then. However, as Eurogamer pointed out, EA has recently resolved to focus on microtransactions and megafranchises (5,000,000+ sellers).

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-03-05-ea-cans-dead-space-series-following-poor-sales-of-dead-space-3-report

Last month EA Games Label boss Frank Gibeau confirmed layoffs at EA's Los Angeles and Montreal developers. EA has gone on the record to say its core game franchises need to sell upwards of five million copies to remain viable.

It seems Dead Space 3 suffered a somewhat troubled development. According to the report, weapon-specific ammo was switched for generic ammo late in the day to accommodate the game's controversial micro-transactions, and developer Visceral were ordered to take the series into a more action-focused direction in order to emulate BioWare's Mass Effect franchise and broaden its appeal.

I completely lost interest in the series after the second game. So many things they NAILED in the first game are absent in the sequel. Honestly? I feel like Visceral ran out of ideas for this concept and it should have just been left alone at one game, because on top of not liking the second game, the third looked stupid as hell.

THat is too bad. I enjoy DS3 more than the first one. Dead Speace one became to much of the same thing after a while.

Too many are become whiny about a game not being horror. It is too bad horror does not work in video games.

People never learn. I bet for the most part lots of these asinine decision are made by the higher up corporate execs who have zero hand whatsoever in the actual creative process of the game design and programming. You know, the people who went into the career due to their love of gaming and creative integrity.

Imagine working on a new game and having all these great ideas in the preproduction process, only to get that email/phone call telling you that your team's project is now in the trash because sales just weren't good enough with the current game that has only been out a mere month.

There really is very little integrity left in the world of game design, save for those few indie companies whose great ideas are rarely duplicated because the final sales figures just weren't good enough. Let's just make another FPS Call of Duty clone for the burnout college and high school kids, because that's a safe sell isn't it?

People never learn. I bet for the most part lots of these asinine decision are made by the higher up corporate execs who have zero hand whatsoever in the actual creative process of the game design and programming. You know, the people who went into the career due to their love of gaming and creative integrity.

Imagine working on a new game and having all these great ideas in the preproduction process, only to get that email/phone call telling you that your team's project is now in the trash because sales just weren't good enough with the current game that has only been out a mere month.

There really is very little integrity left in the world of game design, save for those few indie companies whose great ideas are rarely duplicated because the final sales figures just weren't good enough. Let's just make another FPS Call of Duty clone for the burnout college and high school kids, because that's a safe sell isn't it?

metalgrinch

Imagine you are the head of a company that have hundreds of workers. Some just making it by and other have a sick child that needs their jobs to pay the medicine. Are you really going to put their job on such a risk because you have a passion for a type of game?

Integrity and indie companies goes as well as Snake oil salesmen and integrity .

People never learn. I bet for the most part lots of these asinine decision are made by the higher up corporate execs who have zero hand whatsoever in the actual creative process of the game design and programming. You know, the people who went into the career due to their love of gaming and creative integrity.

Imagine working on a new game and having all these great ideas in the preproduction process, only to get that email/phone call telling you that your team's project is now in the trash because sales just weren't good enough with the current game that has only been out a mere month.

There really is very little integrity left in the world of game design, save for those few indie companies whose great ideas are rarely duplicated because the final sales figures just weren't good enough. Let's just make another FPS Call of Duty clone for the burnout college and high school kids, because that's a safe sell isn't it?

metalgrinch

Let's hope the original story is true. Publishers, developers and especially gamers really need to learn to let go. It fascinates me that games like Call of Duty and Assassin's Creed are still being made and bought. Seriously, just give it a rest.

And we certainly don't need another mediocre action game every two years.

I'm actually glad to see the series go. Neither of the sequels has lived up to the original, and after this microtransaction sh*t I feel like the game deserved to bomb. 

I would say that Dead Space 1 is my least favorite on in the seriers while I like Dead Space 3 the most.

Good. I'm glad microtransactions failed in this game.

I'm actually glad to see the series go. Neither have the sequels has lived up to the original, and after this microtransaction sh*t I feel like the game deserved to bomb.

Vari3ty

The first one is the best by far, so I'll be pretending the other two don't even exist.

Why is a family man worried about games in the first place? Don't you have more important things to worry about also?YosemiteSam400

A man with kids and hobbies?! Clearly I'm blazing a new trail!

I would ask if you have anything substantial to constribute to this thread, but we both know you don't ;).

[This message was deleted at the request of a moderator or administrator]YosemiteSam400

Don't say I didn't warn you.

I thoroughly enjoyed Dead Space 3 as a stand alone game, but it wasn't Dead Space. They shouldn't make anymore unless they'll revert back to the survival horror format and unleash something new to the series for next-gen.

[QUOTE="YosemiteSam400"]

Why is a family man worried about games in the first place? Don't you have more important things to worry about also?CarnageHeart

A man with kids and hobbies?! Clearly I'm blazing a new trail!

I would ask if you have anything substantial to constribute to this thread, but we both know you don't ;).

Well, if the family man works for a company that make game then I can see games as a huge worry for him.

[QUOTE="CarnageHeart"]

[QUOTE="YosemiteSam400"]

Why is a family man worried about games in the first place? Don't you have more important things to worry about also?wiouds

A man with kids and hobbies?! Clearly I'm blazing a new trail!

I would ask if you have anything substantial to constribute to this thread, but we both know you don't ;).

Well, if the family man works for a company that make game then I can see games as a huge worry for him.

This is too bad if true. I loved Dead Space, and its sequel. Have yet to play the third game but it's on my short list. I think Visceral are incredibly talented and deserve better than EA.GodModeEnabled

I thoroughly enjoyed Dead Space 3 as a stand alone game, but it wasn't Dead Space. They shouldn't make anymore unless they'll revert back to the survival horror format and unleash something new to the series for next-gen.

Venom_Raptor

[QUOTE="Venom_Raptor"]

I thoroughly enjoyed Dead Space 3 as a stand alone game, but it wasn't Dead Space. They shouldn't make anymore unless they'll revert back to the survival horror format and unleash something new to the series for next-gen.

Lulekani

[QUOTE="Lulekani"][QUOTE="Venom_Raptor"]

I thoroughly enjoyed Dead Space 3 as a stand alone game, but it wasn't Dead Space. They shouldn't make anymore unless they'll revert back to the survival horror format and unleash something new to the series for next-gen.

CarnageHeart

I'm not one of the anti-EA crowd, but EA certainly f**cked Visceral by ordering it to transform a successful survival horror series into a co-op action game. I steered clear of DS3 based on nonsense about past Dead Spaces being 'too scary' in the run-up to the release of DS3.

Its possible that even without EA's interference, DS might not have been long for this world. I love Dead Space 1 (tense, good action, nasty creatures and great boss battles) and I like Dead Space Extraction (a light gun shooter which PS3 buyers of DS2 got free, which boasts good action, great bosses and the best storytelling in the series) quite a bit but DS2 was a deep disappointment (the bosses sucked, the last three chapters were pure garbage and even those that preceded them were midl disappointments which brought nothing new and good to the table besides the awesome packhunters). Still, Its possible DS2 might have been DMC2 or MGS2, a disappointment, but not the beginning of the end, if EA hadn't gotten stupid.

 

CarnageHeart

Wait, what? Going to have to disagree with you on DS2. Boss battles were never really an emphasized component of DS. You're approaching DS with a traditional format mindset, IMO. That's not to say that I'm calling your opinion wrong, but I think the DS experience needs to be taken on the sum of its parts. I'm sure some people didn't appreciate that DS2 placed more emphasis on action but the tempo needed to be sped up especially when the very dynamic had changed given the setting.

I'm not sure where the "too scary" complaints came into play. Who was saying that? So you think the DS expereince got neutered by such a consensus?

[QUOTE="CarnageHeart"]

I'm not one of the anti-EA crowd, but EA certainly f**cked Visceral by ordering it to transform a successful survival horror series into a co-op action game. I steered clear of DS3 based on nonsense about past Dead Spaces being 'too scary' in the run-up to the release of DS3.

Its possible that even without EA's interference, DS might not have been long for this world. I love Dead Space 1 (tense, good action, nasty creatures and great boss battles) and I like Dead Space Extraction (a light gun shooter which PS3 buyers of DS2 got free, which boasts good action, great bosses and the best storytelling in the series) quite a bit but DS2 was a deep disappointment (the bosses sucked, the last three chapters were pure garbage and even those that preceded them were midl disappointments which brought nothing new and good to the table besides the awesome packhunters). Still, Its possible DS2 might have been DMC2 or MGS2, a disappointment, but not the beginning of the end, if EA hadn't gotten stupid.

ZhugeL1ang

Wait, what? Going to have to disagree with you on DS2. Boss battles were never really an emphasized component of DS. You're approaching DS with a traditional format mindset, IMO. That's not to say that I'm calling your opinion wrong, but I think the DS experience needs to be taken on the sum of its parts. I'm sure some people didn't appreciate that DS2 placed more emphasis on action but the tempo needed to be sped up especially when the very dynamic had changed given the setting.

I'm not sure where the "too scary" complaints came into play. Who was saying that? So you think the DS expereince got neutered by such a consensus?

Dead Space 1 had some really insane boss battles (see below). Dead Space 2 had boss battles, but they were pushovers. Also, I thought Isaac having more manuverability in zero G in DS2 robbed the zero g segments of much of their wonder. *Shrugs* I suspect we'll have to agree to disagree on that score.

I never read anyone online complaining that the DS games are too scary, but that is something EA claims focus groups told it when it announced that DS3 would be less scary than its predecessors. EA abandoned the bird in the hand for the two in the bush and wound up with nothing. People who don't like scary games probably steer clear of games with 'dead' in the title.

They should have just said "taking a hiatus" like everyone else.