Dead Space PS5 PlayStation 5 1

Dead Space was undoubtedly one of the standout series of the PlayStation 3 generation, but it was abandoned when it failed to rake in the kind of cash publisher EA expected at the time. The firm does appear to be softening of late, however: it’s bringing back fan favourites like Skate and EA Sports College Football, and is also diversifying its output through its EA Originals initiative, which recently attracted critical acclaim due to the release of It Takes Two.

Now, well-connected and extremely chatty Games Beat scribe Jeff Grubb has raised hopes that the sci-fi survival horror could be making a comeback. While he didn’t explicitly refer to Isaac Clarke et al, he did hint that developer EA Motive has been working on an “established IP” revival, and insinuated that we’ll “be happy” about it. He added: “We’re going to see it [during the company’s 22nd July livestream] if we’re not dead first.”

Of course, there are a plethora of “established IP” in EA’s catalogue – literally dozens, in fact. Few carry the prestige of Dead Space, though. EA Motive has been busy beavering away on Star Wars for some time, having previously worked on Star Wars: Squadrons and Star Wars: Battlefront 2. Job listings have referred to further projects based on the film franchise, although a statement from studio boss Patrick Klaus last year suggested it has “several unannounced” games in the pipeline.

As is always the case with these kinds of rumours, the story stems from quotes so cryptic that it’s practically impossible to extract a whole lot of substance from them. In defence of Grubb, however, his track-record is largely consistent and reliable, so he’s probably on the money when it comes to EA Motive reviving an “established IP”. The question now is simple: which one? We’ll probably have to wait until 22nd July to find out.

[source youtube.com, via youtube.com, youtube.com, videogameschronicle.com]