Former Dead Space Producer Says The “Numbers Just Aren’t There” For a New Game in the Series

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Despite the effort Motive Studios put into the Dead Space remake, a new game in the series probably won’t happen. Chuck Beaver, a writer and producer on the franchise, explained to FRVR that EA hasn’t seen strong enough sales to justify a Dead Space 4. He stated that the sales figures simply don’t support further investment.

He also mentioned he didn’t think it was unfair that the Dead Space series ended with the release of Dead Space 3. He explained this was based on his experience as a producer and understanding how game sales typically perform.

He acknowledged the project had some success, but expressed disappointment that the franchise couldn’t reach its full potential. As a long-time producer, he understands the financial realities and why further development, like a continuation of the remake by Motive, wasn’t approved.

He explained that while horror games are generally successful, there’s a limit to how many copies any single game can sell. During the creation of the Dead Space series, EA executive Frank Gibeau reportedly said they needed to sell 5 million copies to continue making games in the franchise.

According to Phil Beaver, horror games have a limited sales potential to justify continued investment. He explained that when Frank Gibeau was at EA, they needed to sell around 5 million copies of Dead Space to make it worthwhile. Now, due to increased costs, that number is closer to 15 million.

Given the current market, Beaver thinks EA needs a game to sell around 7 million copies for it to be considered successful. This benchmark comes from looking at Capcom’s recent performance – they recently announced that Resident Evil Requiem has sold 7 million copies, providing a useful comparison.

Beaver pointed out that Resident Evil games typically sell around seven million copies, which is a strong performance. However, game companies are now focused on finding the next Fortnite – a game that consistently generates revenue over a long period. They’re looking for a big, standalone game, not one that relies on ongoing live services, as that older model is becoming outdated.

The most recent major installment of the Dead Space series before the 2023 remake was Dead Space 3, released in 2013 for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC. According to a report from December 2025, development on the series has been paused indefinitely. Some EA developers would like to see the Dead Space rights sold to another company, but EA currently has no plans to continue the franchise.

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2026-05-12 16:11