RIP, ‘Dead Space’….Again (2008-2023)

For the second time, it’s curtains for the Dead Space franchise.

According to sources speaking to Insider Gaming, the sci-fi horror series is “on ice” following the release of its 2023 remake. EA’s reportedly not looking to bring the series back any time soon through any means like a reboot or another remake. However, those same sources expressed hope that the publisher—soon to be majority-owned by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund, which itself in a bit of a financial bind—would sell the IP as a means of paying off some debt incurred by this new deal.

The fate of Dead Space post-remake has been up in the air and somewhat contentious. An extended ending indicated developer Motive wanted to give the second game (and potentially the third) similar treatments of their own. During 2024, a report claimed EA shelved a Dead Space 2 remake, only for EA to push back and say Motive had no aims to remake the sequel and was focused on “other projects,” including its Iron Man game. Bloomberg later revealed Motive explored both another remake and a wholly new entry for the series, both of which died after the remake missed internal sales targets.

It’s not surprising that Dead Space is cast aside again—unless you’re named “Mass Effect,” this is a thing EA does to its IP, particularly single-player ones—but its being perma-shelved a second time stings more as fellow horror franchises Resident Evil and Silent Hill have had sizable (and ongoing) resurgences of their own lately. There’s clearly an audience for horror games of all stripes. It’s just a shame that EA has no willingness (or faith) to let all of its franchises take more than a few small steps before pulling the plug.

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