If EA could leverage Dead Space better, I can see it easily being equivalent to something like Dark Souls as a game that is uncompromising and even "niche" but still fantastic and successful.
I mean, even compare the two, and notice the point of the pivot (EA has been cagey about final numbers for awhile...)
Dead Space 1 - 2 million
Dead Space 2 - >2 million
Dead Space 3 - 605,000 first month US (they said they needed 5 million total to be successful)
Dark Souls 1 - 2.37 million
Dark Souls 2 - 2.5 million
Dark Souls 3 - 3 million shipped
Dark Souls was once "niche" and "only for the hardcore" and sells routinely just above 2 million copies, which was typical of Dead Space as well. But FromSoftware managed to find sustainability. Even FromSoftware isn't foolish enough to bet the farm on Dark Souls ever selling 5 million copies, but it has a sizable and sustainable audience and a manageable budget that allows them to be successful, despite not cracking Call of Duty numbers (like EA had such tunnel-vision for that they tried to chase after its success with all their properties, no matter how ill-fitting).
A smarter EA could easily pull a Dark Souls and make average-sized but well-executed Dead Space games with a manageable budget, razor-sharp focus on the horror and gameplay elements, scale back the bombast and setpieces, and sell a healthy amount of copies that produces a sustainable and sizable amount of profit from the people that clearly enjoyed the series.
That would be giving EA a LOT of credit if they could do so, but they did make Dead Space great once upon a time and players gobbled it up. Dead Space may never be more than a mid-sized success... but, like Dark Souls, if you're smart about it that can be all you need.