Dead Space 2 Remake Reportedly Canceled Over Disappointing Reason

gamerant.com:

The rumored Dead Space 2 remake has been canceled, an established industry insider has claimed. The project has reportedly been shelved over disappointing sales of the first Dead Space remake.

The reimagining of the original entry in the franchise was released in January 2023. The Dead Space remake was met with near-universal critical acclaim, in addition to amassing multiple award nominations.

Despite that immensely positive buzz, the reimagining of this cult classic did not sell as well as EA hoped it would. That's according to journalist Jeff Grubb, who characterized the game's sales as «lackluster,» quoting people familiar with the matter. Some 12 minutes into the latest episode of the Game Mess Mornings podcast, the industry insider explained that this poor commercial performance led to EA Motive shelving the Dead Space 2 remake. While the game itself has never been officially announced, Grubb reports that it was in an early, concept stage of development by the time it was canceled.

This bit of unofficial insight into the ill-fated project was offered in response to the news of an organizational reshuffle at EA Motive. Announced on April 9 by General Manager Patrick Klaus, the move saw part of the Canadian studio's staffers transferred to assist with the next entry in the Battlefield franchise. At the same time, EA Motive's upcoming Iron Man game is still progressing well, Klaus said, adding that the project has recently cleared a «major internal milestone,» without elaborating on the matter. It is unclear whether the purported cancelation of the Dead Space 2 remake was a direct result of the studio dividing its priorities even further, although Grubb did suggest that may have been the case.

The allegation that the project was scrapped over weak sales of its predecessor may come as a surprise to some fans, not least because the Dead Space remake seemingly had a fairly strong commercial start. Specifically, the game debuted at the top of the UK's physical sales