visceral-games posts

Electronic Arts did a ton to promote their 2008 sci-fi survival horror game Dead Space. In addition to the game they released two prequel products in the form of a comic book mini-series and a direct-to-DVD animated film. In the end the game was both a critical and financial success so a sequel would seem inevitable.

Now a new Reuters story on the popularity of horror-themed games claims that EA has its sights on releasing Dead Space 2 sometime in 2010. This sounds pretty resonable to us. However G4TV reports that EA has called the Reuters article "speculative". Not a denial per se; just a way of saying, "We have made any official announcements yet."

It's not exactly a shock, but it does appear that Electronic Arts is moving forward on the sequel to their 2008 sci-fi survival horror game Dead Space. The latest evidence comes in the form of a LinkedIn job listing for EA's Visceral Games studio, stating that the game "is in the later stages of pre-production, ready for production in the next few months."

Dead Space apparently sold well enough that EA commissioned two more sequels be made according to a recent Variety article. However they will have to be made without one of the original game's leaders. Visceral Games' general manager Glen Schofield jumped ship a few months ago to join Activision.

[Via superannuation]

It can be a cutthroat world in the games industry at time and it looks like a particular deal has been struck that has taken two of Electronic Arts' rising stars to move to arch-rival Activision. GameSpot is reporting through unnamed sources that Glen Schofield and Michael Condrey, the general manager and COO, respectively, of EA's Visceral Studios, have defected to work for Activision in an all new studio that will be established in the San Fransisco Bay area.

Ironically the pair are leaving the studio just a few months after EA re-branded the team from the plain-jane EA Redwood Shores to Visceral Games. In part the name change was made to emphasis the studio's move to make more adult action games like last year's Dead Space and next year's Dante's Inferno that Schofield and Condrey helped to create. It's currently unknown what Activision will be calling its new dev studio.

Ever since the official announcement of Dante's Inferno by Electronic Arts back in late 2008, there has been some confusion about whether or not the publisher had any plans for a PC version of the upcoming "M" rated third person action game. In fact early previews of the game on several web sites mention a PC port and EA's own PC section of the web site states that "Electronic Arts looks to continue its tradition of innovative and compelling PC and Mac games with top-tier titles such as Dante's Inferno, Dragon Age: Origins, and the online-only Battlefield Heroes."

However more recent press releases for the game have mentioned an Xbox 360, PS3 and PSP ports of the game but no mentions of a PC port. Big Download decided to get the final word on this situation and contacted EA's PR head for the game. Their response? "When Dante's Inferno was originally announced in December, we attached no platforms to the project. When we came out with a first look for press in February we announced 360/PS3 and then in April we announced PSP. We never announced a PC SKU nor are there plans for any."

Electronic Arts's Redwood Shores, CA studio has been cracking out titles for quite some time, ranging from The Godfather games to the recent Simpsons title. The studio recently launched the Dead Space survival horror series and that may have been part of the reason why EA decided to give the Redwood Shores studio its own unique name.

In a new press release, EA has announced that it will now refer to the Redwood Shores studio as Visceral Games. The studio's web site has already launched and in a message its general manager Glen Schofield states, "We are not abandoning our past but embracing the future. With an obsessive focus on excellence and a relentless commitment to intense action, Visceral Games is set to execute all future games at the quality, innovation and polish of Dead Space." The studio will also have a branch in Melbourne, Australia. It's currently developing the third person action game Dante's Inferno and two more unannounced titles are in the works.