The Dead Space 3 the developers wanted to make
Here's a thing.
The third (and likely final) Dead Space game traded survival horror for action, a decision many fans found frustrating. It turns out, however, this was not the original pitch. This week I've spoken with the game's creative director, Ben Wanat about the team's original vision for Dead Space 3 and how over time, it was eroded by the business interests of Electronic Arts.
Had this not been the case, we would have likely ended up with a game that delved deeper into Isaac Clarke's psychosis, featuring a co-op campaign that allowed players to experience this firsthand. Oh, and as you've always guessed, the microtransactions didn't come from the design team. There's a shocker.
Join me below, in this week's episode of Here's A Thing.
If you're interested in listening to the full interview I had with Wanat, we've uploaded that to SoundCloud. It's interesting, I reckon, to hear someone talk about the realities of designing games for such a large publisher, with such large ambitions. Creativity vs. business: that's the story here.
And as ever, if you have any questions or feedback about this week's topic, I'll be around in the comments. Ask away! Or just mock the way I say the number 'three'. Whatever works.