Updated on April 10, 2024: EA said that "there is no validity to this story" in a statement to IGN. Grubb responded by doubling down on his claims. The original story follows.

Highlights

  • The Dead Space 2 remake has reportedly been canceled.
  • While never officially announced, the game is said to have been in pre-production before being shelved.
  • EA allegedly dropped the project over "lackluster" sales of the first Dead Space remake.

The rumored Dead Space 2 remake has been canceled, an established industry insider has claimed. The project has reportedly been shelved over disappointing sales of the first Dead Space remake.

The reimagining of the original entry in the franchise was released in January 2023. The Dead Space remake was met with near-universal critical acclaim, in addition to amassing multiple award nominations.

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Dead Space 2 Remake Was Reportedly in Concept Phase Before Getting Shelved

Despite that immensely positive buzz, the reimagining of this cult classic did not sell as well as EA hoped it would. That's according to journalist Jeff Grubb, who characterized the game's sales as "lackluster," quoting people familiar with the matter. Some 12 minutes into the latest episode of the Game Mess Mornings podcast, the industry insider explained that this poor commercial performance led to EA Motive shelving the Dead Space 2 remake. While the game itself has never been officially announced, Grubb reports that it was in an early, concept stage of development by the time it was canceled.

This bit of unofficial insight into the ill-fated project was offered in response to the news of an organizational reshuffle at EA Motive. Announced on April 9 by General Manager Patrick Klaus, the move saw part of the Canadian studio's staffers transferred to assist with the next entry in the Battlefield franchise. At the same time, EA Motive's upcoming Iron Man game is still progressing well, Klaus said, adding that the project has recently cleared a "major internal milestone," without elaborating on the matter. It is unclear whether the purported cancelation of the Dead Space 2 remake was a direct result of the studio dividing its priorities even further, although Grubb did suggest that may have been the case.

The allegation that the project was scrapped over weak sales of its predecessor may come as a surprise to some fans, not least because the Dead Space remake seemingly had a fairly strong commercial start. Specifically, the game debuted at the top of the UK's physical sales charts, in addition to ranking as high as second on Steam's global Top Sellers list. The only title that outperformed the Dead Space remake during its launch month on Valve's storefront was Hogwarts Legacy, which went on to become the best-selling game of 2023 across most major markets.

It is unclear whether these supposedly "lackluster" sales were weak to the point of the company losing money on the remake. Based on EA Motive's headcount, the average gross salary for game developers in the studio's general area, and the fact that the Dead Space remake spent around three years in active development, it can be roughly estimated that the project would have broken even with around 500,000 sales. That is assuming a flat 30% cut for storefront owners, and not accounting for any marketing costs and taxes.