Dead Space may not have been a runaway hit but it apparently did well enough for Electronic Arts to begin work on two sequels and sign Eagle Eye director D.J. Caruso to a movie project based on the game.
Dead Space, EA’s 2008 survival horror game, was a moderate success, with former Visceral Games head Glen Schofield saying in early July that the game had shipped roughly 1.5 million copies. Not a world-beater by any stretch of the imagination but Schofield had earlier claimed that he was “satisfied” with the game’s performance and that he hoped it would grow to become a major gaming franchise.
Schofield’s not at Visceral any more but it looks like he’s getting his wish: Variety reports that EA is working on not just one but two sequels (whether or not one of the two is the upcoming Wii game Dead Space: Extraction is unclear) and also has plans to bring the property to the big screen. Director D.J. Caruso, whose past work includes Eagle Eye, Disturbia and Two for the Money, has been attached to the project and EA, Caruso and the film’s producers are now taking ideas from potential scriptwriters.
No word on when any of this stuff might see the light of day but it’s good to see EA showing a commitment to the new property. Dead Space was a very good game that was no doubt overlooked by a lot of gamers who weren’t sure what to make of a title that didn’t end in a number and I’d be very surprised if a properly-supported sequel didn’t fare considerably better commercially than the original.
