The Dead Space remake has been co-designed and co-created by “diehard fans” of the original horror game classic, working with EA, ahead of the Dead Space release date, to ensure that the story of Isaac Clarke and the Ishimura is faithful to the source material.
With the Dead Space launching January 27, 2023, EA has described the process behind remaking the iconic survival horror while also remaining true to its original iteration. According to Roman Campos-Oriola, the remake’s creative director, EA’s team has met regularly with fans of the Dead Space series, allowing them to see the game in-development and provide input on its direction.
“Really, really early in development,” Compos-Oriola says, “we started discussions with some members of the community who were identified by our team as diehard fans. We met with them every six weeks, roughly, and we gave them full access to what we were doing.”
“There were a number of polarising topics we wanted to get a gut-check on,” adds senior producer Philippe Ducharme, “so we gathered feedback from these groups to make informed decisions. A focus on community is one of the key pillars of this project, so we also took feedback from our livestreams, read through user reviews and Twitch comments—there was a lot of intake of information. It was all to understand who we’re addressing with this game, and what made Dead Space spectacular for them.”
As well as working alongside fans, EA has also created the Dead Space remake as “one sequential shot”, whereby from the start of the game to the end, there are no loading screens or even camera cuts, unless, of course, you are killed. Ducharme says this offers “a completely unbroken experience”.
“From the moment you start the game to the moment you end the game, there are no camera cuts or load screens—unless you die,” they explain. “The Ishimura is now fully interconnected, so you can walk from point A to point Z, visit the entire ship, and revisit locations you’ve already completed to pick up things you might have missed—that’s all new. It’s now a completely unbroken experience.”
While you wait for the Dead Space launch date, you might want to make sure your rig meets the Dead Space system requirements. Alternatively, in the meantime, check out some of the other best upcoming games, or perhaps some other PC classics that are still worth playing. We also have a guide to the best survival games, for those of you who cut your teeth aboard the Ishimura the first time around.