EA Explains Dead Space 3 Changes

Plans to make Dead Space 3 a little different to its predecessors are there to open the game up “to a larger audience”, EA has explained.

The publisher is conscious of the fact fans are very sensitive to their favorite IP being played with though and is making efforts to ensure original fans aren’t dissuaded from playing the new title, EA exec Frank Gibeau has said to CVG.

“We tried to open up the accessibility of the IP a little bit by adding a little bit more action, but not undermining the horror. We can’t not be a horror game because that’s what Dead Space is,” Gibeau explained.

“So with the addition of co-op and taking it to a planet and mostly away from space… we’re pushing it in areas such as environment, co-op and at the same time we definitely do not want to piss off our fans by taking it too far from horror.”

The changes are need if Dead Space 3 is to become a “more broadly appealing franchise”.

“Ultimately you need to get to audience sizes of around five million to really continue to invest in an IP like Dead Space. Anything less than that and it becomes quite difficult financially given how expensive it is to make games and market them.

“We feel good about that growth but we have to be very paranoid about making sure we don’t change the experience so much that we lose the fanbase.”

EA’s boss John Riccitello previously made comments saying that first game in the franchise “didn’t hit expectations at retail”, and that it would “probably take Dead Space 3 before we get into that five million unit cadence versus say three, four.”