Dead Space developers used diehard fans to help keep them on track. During a new blog post, creative director Roman Campos-Oriola revealed that the Dead Space remake devs consulted with their very own community council every six weeks.
“Really, really early in development, we started discussions with some members of the community who were identified by our team as diehard fans,” he revealed. “We met with them every six weeks, roughly, and we gave them full access to what we were doing.”
Why did they consult the fans? Well, it seems they wanted to get opinions on a variety of “polarizing” topics.
“Because we have our opinions, but that doesn’t mean we’re right!” said senior producer Philippe Ducharme. “There were a number of polarizing topics we wanted to get a gut-check on, 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.”
The upcoming remake will re-tell the story of systems engineer Isaac Clarke – an unlucky spacefarer who ends up aboard the USG Ishimura, a ship overrun by deadly necromorphs before crew members managed to activate its distress beacon.
EA Motive is handling the remake, with a release date in January 2023.
“First, we honor the legacy,” said Ducharme. “We look at the original game with the utmost respect. So, the core foundations will remain the same. However, we are making several enhancements to the experience to make it enticing for both new players and returning ones.”
Despite this deep respect for the original game, original creator Glen Schofield isn’t part of the upcoming remake.
“I took [the announcement] as a compliment,” he said. “I still do take it as a compliment. I'm still kind of bummed about it too. There's this weird, weird thing, like you're not attached to your own game," Schofield told Game Informer. "It's a weird feeling. [...] They want to make a game better than the one you made.”
Still, it sounds as though the Dead Space remake is going to great lengths to recapture the magic of the original game.
“We want the fans of Dead Space to rediscover Dead Space as if for the first time,” said Campos-Oriola. “But with everything feeling familiar and recognizable. That’s something that’s really important to us.”
Want to read more about Dead Space? Check out every EA game currently in development as well as a deep dive into how Dead Space is being remade.
Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.