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[DaSorcerer7]

Update:

For those curious to see more of the game and how it has changed, the GTTV episode and a singleplayer walkthrough video are available here: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=478614

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EA says it "definitely do[es] not want to piss off our fans" by taking Dead Space 3 too far from its horror roots, but at the same time concedes it needs to make the series "more broadly appealing".

Speaking to CVG in a just-published interview, EA Labels president Frank Gibeau said he's confident that new features such as co-op will help the next instalment become "a great game and our biggest Dead Space."

He explained: "What we've tried to do with each instalment is tell a different story about Isaac but at the same time bring in new features and ways to turn the game into a more connected experience.
"... so we embraced [the co-op] idea and 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."

The exec listed environment and co-op as areas the new game will push, "and at the same time we definitely do not want to piss off our fans by taking it too far from horror," he said.

"We're very self aware of that - we listen to the fans and we hear them. We're going to be releasing more assets over the coming months that show you how deep the horror is. It's definitely not getting away from gore or horror, but at the same time it's opening up to a larger audience by adding some elements."

Gibeau listed Ridley Scott film Prometheus as a particular inspiration for EA, which he says managed to attract a broader appeal thanks to casting and imagery.

"In general we're thinking about how we make this a more broadly appealing franchise, because 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."

At its E3 press conference EA confirmed a February 2013 release date for Dead Space 3.

Link

Note: Since EA mentioned way back when that Dead Space 1 was profitable, they're most likely referring to the opportunity cost of not having the team make a highly marketable straight up dudebro cover shooter instead.

 

[Wessiej]

by taking Dead Space 3 too far from its horror roots

So yeah, they are going to remove some of it. It's over. Thanks.

 

[darkpaladinmfc]

Thanks a lot EA.

 

[Jaded Alyx]

And there it is.

 

[Pollux]

Why does EA ruin everything?

 

[SmokyDave]

In general we're thinking about how we make this a more broadly appealing franchise, because ultimately you need to get to audience sizes of around five million to really continue to invest in an IP like Dead Space

Fucking nuts.

 

[Raide]

"more broadly appealing" might be the single most terrifying thing core games can hear about their favourite franchise.

 

[GotEmRunnin]

franchise suicide.....there you have it.

 

[jonno394]

Dude Space 3 confirmed?

 

[Wind's Howling]

Why does EA ruin everything?

Money.

More action, less horror, less RPG, less story. It sells because we gamers buy those type of games more.

 

[chico]

fuck you EA!!! ruining every good franchise they created or bought.

 

[Hunter-Zero]

Ughhh

 

[Chinner]

looking forward to seeing the AAA gaming industry crash.

 

[strafer]

Another franchise blown to bits.

 

[Averon]

Fuck...

"We want the CoD/Skyrim/GoW audience."

 

[Hot Coldman]

I don't understand why horror is niche nowadays. It just baffles me. Resident Evil was huge. Amnesia is this big internet darling. And horror films have propped up countless film studios, surely. I swear people still love getting scared...

I guess the bigger issue here is that games just need to sell more.

 

[Pie and Beans]

Demon's Souls wasnt particularly more broadly appealing, but I'd say many view that as a success story of the generation, especially by its sequel Dark Souls going multi-plat.

If you need to sell 5 million copies to turn a profit, you are making these games wrong. Simple as that.

 

[BrokenEchelon]

1. Co-Op in a Horror game is a synonym for adding easy mode for all the people who can't deal with playing a scary game by themselves. I know that you can play the game entirely by yourself, but let's not beat around the bush: It was added because the Multiplayer in DS2 failed, and because it makes it approachable for people who would otherwise never touch a survival horror game (see: Resident Evil 5 and now 6).

2.

It's definitely not getting away from gore or horror

Citing gore in that sentence proves that at least he doesn't understand what makes a good horror game. It certainly isn't copious amounts of blood and guts. That's just murder porn. I certainly hope that the development team doesn't share his feelings about this.

I really enjoyed the first two games, and I don't think Dead Space 3 is necessarily jumping the shark, but this kind of thought-process from the publishers/producers certainly raises flags for the IP's future in my mind.

 

[Dascu]

Is it really necessary to turn this into a million-selling blockbuster franchise? Why can't they just be satisfied with good sales, and scale the development budget accordingly? The bigger the investment, the bigger the risk. It doesn't hurt to keep a few medium-sized franchises to augment your existing blockbuster IPs.

 

[BHK3]

Always the evil companies saying this, EA, Capcom, Activision...

 

[Guerrillas in the Mist]

Perhaps people bought Dead Space, not because they were tricked into thinking the game was some kind of COD clone, but because they wanted a sci-fi horror game? Five million to turn a profit? Holy shit.

 

[Diablohead]

They are doing the shit which hit resi 5 too hard, BRO-OP and watering down what made the franchise so good to begin with.

 

[Ezduo]

"In general we're thinking about how we make this a more broadly appealing franchise, because ultimately you need to get to audience sizes of around five million to really continue to invest in an IP like Dead Space.

God damn!!! Why so much? Is that just breaking even or what?

 

[Winnie the Pimp]

looking forward to seeing the AAA gaming industry crash.

wishful thinking unfortunately

 

[Symphonic]

FFS I was still holding onto some hope, dammit.

 

[Nirolak]

God damn!!! Why so much? Is that just breaking even or what?

Opportunity cost.

If you look at EA's line-up, that is sadly the bar they can draw for a product to be worthwhile, so they do.

 

[Phoenician_Viking]

Dead shooter: bro everything.

 

[gconsole]

They are now following RE audience.

 

[brotkasten]

We're going to be releasing more assets over the coming months that show you how deep the horror is.

I don't think that's the kind of horror fans want.

 

[Winnie the Pimp]

Demon's Souls wasnt particularly more broadly appealing, but I'd say many view that as a success story of the generation, especially by its sequel Dark Souls going multi-plat.

If you need to sell 5 million copies to turn a profit, you are making these games wrong. Simple as that.

the problem is, EA is no longer interested in simply "making a profit", they now want to make MORE profit!

 

[MrCookiepants]

What a bunch of bitches. And I mean you guys.

It's either optional co-op or no Dead Space at all. You should grateful they're continuing the franchise at all when it isn't making them any real money.

 

[Symphonic]

Always the evil companies saying this, EA, Capcom, Activision...

Really all the publishing companies that make most of their money from AAA games say this. Being evil is a side effect.

 

[heliconsoul]

Great. There goes another decent survival horror IP.

I'll add it to the Resident Evil pile labelled "IPs that forgot what made them great to begin with"

 

[Wind's Howling]

You can not say that EA is not right about the fact that an IP like Dead Space needs to sell 5 million copies or more. Dead Space 1 and 2 only sold 4.5 million and for an IP like this that is not a lot, especially when there are games on the market that sell those numbers for each release.

 

[KarmaCow]

That sounds sustainable.

 

[Elginer]

I await the eventual reveal of mirrors edge 2 with coop, more guns and stealth kills. people are going to lose their shit lol.

 

[StoppedInTracks]

Fucking Call of Duty ruined this generation.

I don't remember GTA and Halo devastating last gen as much as CoD did this one.

 

[Des0lar]

5 million copies of Dead Space

5 million copies of Dead Space

5 million copies of Dead Space

5 million copies of Dead Space

5 million copies of Dead Space

Holy shit I can't believe it. Fucking EA.

 

[Darklord]

By making every game the same you'll flood the market and kill sales.

 

[Agent Ironside]

Money's ruining the industry.

 

[haikira]

 

[Criminal Upper]

In terms of the core gamer, this is the last thing anyone wants to hear.

 

[Glass Rebel]

Thanks for Dead Space 1 and 2, Visceral. It's been good knowing you.

 

[ScepticMatt]

sigh..

something has to change in this industry if they expect every big IP to sell over 5M

 

[Corky]

R.I.P Dead Space franchise.

I was still holding out hope despite the e3 backlash, I still had an inkling of faith left that maybe visceral will be allowed to make the game they wanted.

It seems that I was wrong. That dudebro shootbang coop section that apparently wasn't really indicative of the entire game feels much more ominous now and representative.

Fuck.

FUCK.

 

[toddhunter]

I recommend:

1. Make games people want for a realistic cost.
2. Profit.


Not

1. Make stupid games nobody wants trying to appeal to a massive market of idiots who don't know what they want anyway and spend a shit load of money on it.
2. Start your own dd service to sell it and try to ram it down everybodies throat.
3. Shut down ip
4. Shut down service.
5. Personally aplogise to me for killing Ultima

 

[Kaako]

Fuck this noise. Seriously.

 

[Always-honest]

Perk the shit out of it.

 

[Sadist]

Everything was blockbuster/dolanface

 

[Replicant]

Gibeau listed Ridley Scott film Prometheus as a particular inspiration for EA, which he says managed to attract a broader appeal thanks to casting and imagery.

Uh oh. That's not a good thing. Prometheus was hardly scary. Try something else for inspiration: The Thing, Event Horizons, Alien, Aliens, or even Sunshine. But Prometheus was a clusterfuck of trainwreck in terms of plotting and it wasn't that scary.