It’s official now, Electronic Arts is bringing back its acclaimed Dead Space franchise in the form of a remake. In a recent interview, the developers assure that past mistakes should not be repeated in the remake.
Dead Space Remake will not have microtransactions
After much speculation, Electronic Arts officially announced a remake of the first part of its popular Dead Space series last night. In a press release on the comeback of the franchise and an interview with IGN, the publisher posted further information on the game.
Even before the title was officially announced, IGN had the opportunity to speak to Phil Ducharme, senior producer of the horror game. He assures that the EA Motive team (Star Wars: Squadrons) has learned from the brand’s “past missteps” and therefore would not look for ways “to goose extra money out of players.”
In other words: unlike in Dead Space 3, there shouldn’t be any microtransactions in the first remake. Ducharme then clarified once again that its integration into previous games in the series had been a mistake, which is why the developers designed the game in such a way that microtransactions are “never” added.
Instead, the team is more focused on finding ways to modernize the original in terms of story, characters, and gameplay: “We’re looking at what can be taken and reinjected into the first game from a future standpoint.”
According to Ducharme, it is absolutely clear to EA Motive that the story of the original forms the basis for the upcoming remake. Nevertheless, the makers are looking for ways to “improve this story.” This should not be about improvements because something did not work in the original, but rather because of “what came after” and what can now be integrated well.
The team is aware of the fact that not only old Dead Space fans, but also a whole new generation of players will play the remake. For this reason, those responsible want to take the opportunity to expand the player base through accessibility options that were not available before.
Dead Space is being developed from scratch with the Frostbite engine, which would enable EA Motive to take horror and immersion to a new level for the franchise using next-gen graphics, revised sound, and gameplay mechanics.