14 DAY TRIAL // The gaming industry, although well known for its innovative franchises and IPs (Intellectual Properties), isn't going through a great time right now, as a lot of companies are relying on old franchises, which guarantee a profit, in order to be sure that money invested in development wouldn't be thrown out the window.
But in 2008, one of the least-likely publishers, Electronic Arts, known for its long-lasting franchises like Madden or Need For Speed, launched a lot of brand new games, like Mirror's Edge, Spore or Dead Space, placing quality first. The last one managed to get the company into the survival horror genre, and introduced some very interesting concepts, like dismemberment.
It went on to gain some very positive reviews (you can check our own right here) and impressed analysts due to the fact that the development cycle already took into account a sequel, and it was backed up by a comic book series and an animated movie, in order to develop the backstory even more. But it seems that the game was a pretty big risk for both the central EA team and the development studio, EA Redwood Shores, as Glen Schofield, the producer, explained to 1up recently.
“It wasn't easy, but I talked with the execs about the concept, and it was a solid idea – a known yet underdeveloped genre, in my opinion, and one which Electronic Arts wasn't in yet. There was also a groundswell of talk within the company that we needed more new IPs. They also saw the passion the team had for making this game, and that goes a long way. Put these things together and it's a daring call to green light a game like this. But everyone was on board. Once people saw our first playable vertical slice [of the game], I think they all breathed a huge sigh of relief, knowing we made the right call.”
The right call indeed, as Dead Space, while not having one of the most original stories, impressed with its eerie atmosphere and very intense action sequences. Hopefully the next titles will help unravel the story even more, as the first game ended in a somewhat disappointing way.