In an interview with Dan Allen Gaming on YouTube, series creator Glen Schofield, creative director Bret Robbins, and animation director Christopher Stone disclosed that they approached Electronic Arts to propose the development of Dead Space 4. However, Electronic Arts declined their offer. “We actually did try,” stated Glen Schofield, with Christopher Stone adding, “We were all sitting there wanting to do it.” Schofield mentioned that discussions began earlier this year and EA informed them they were not interested.
“We did not actively pursue it further as they expressed that they are not interested at this time. We acknowledged their perspective and respected their decision since they understand their business needs,” stated Schofield. Christopher Stone added: “The industry is currently in a unique position where risk aversion is prevalent, so one must proceed with caution. It’s uncertain when circumstances might change, but we all hope for an opportunity to revisit this eventually.” Schofield emphasized, “We do have some ideas regarding future directions.”
Dead Space has always presented a complex challenge for Electronic Arts to manage. Although the American publisher invested in three episodes between 2008 and 2013, the sales of these subsequent releases were not particularly strong, leading each game to attempt to reach a wider audience by emphasizing action over pure horror, which somewhat altered the original concept. Despite a remake released in January 2023 that initially performed well, the game also experienced low sales, prompting Electronic Arts to reassess the viability of this ambitious franchise. It is noteworthy that in December 2022, just weeks prior, Glen Schofield, along with Korean publisher Krafton, released The Callisto Protocol, a title similar in some ways to Dead Space, featuring more advanced and engaging melee combat. While the game eventually sold reasonably well, it received somewhat mixed reviews from both press and players.
