Dead Space Remake release date speculation, trailer, gameplay, next-gen improvements and more

Dead Space is back. During the EA Play 2021 showcase, Dead Space Remake was announced as an updated version of the beloved science-fiction horror series making its grand return after more than eight years in cryo-sleep.  

Fans have been desperately hoping for a new entry in the series for years, but the franchise has remained dormant since 2013’s Dead Space 3. Until now. The original game is being remade for the PS5 and Xbox Series X and will see engineer Isaac Clarke once again fight off a whole horde of horrific necromorphs.  

This from-the-ground-up remake of the 2008 original will take players back to the USG Ishimura spaceship, which has been overrun by nightmarish creatures. The Dead Space Remake will offer players a heightened sense of fear thanks to superior visuals and sound design.  

Much of the game remains under wraps for now. However, EA has given us a few small details that have got long-time fans even more excited about the prospect of returning to the Dead Space universe. Here’s everything we know about the Dead Space Remake. 

Dead Space Remake release date speculation 

Unfortunately, there is currently no release date information for the Dead Space remake. The game was revealed in June 2021 but publisher EA didn’t even give fans a vague release window at this time. 

Online speculation has pegged the Dead Space Remake for a potential launch in 2023 based on comments from various developers about how far along the game is. However, this is pure speculation. 2023 could make sense as it would mark 10 years since the last installment in the series, but we can’t say for certain when the remake will come out yet. 

We do know that the Dead Space Remake will launch exclusively on PS5 and Xbox Series X (as well as PC), and there won’t be a version for the PS4 and Xbox One.

Dead Space Remake trailer 

The Dead Space Remake was announced with a teaser trailer at EA Play 2021. This short trailer doesn’t give fans much to go on. But it does show off the iconic “cut off their limbs” message and we get a quick peek at Isaac Clarke’s suit powering up.  

Dead Space Remake gameplay 

This is a remake of the original Dead Space, so the core gameplay is highly unlikely to change in a drastic fashion. This will mean the game is likely to be a third-party action/horror game in which you must defeat enemies by dismembering them with a variety of mining tools including the much-loved Plasma Cutter. 

The series is a survival-horror franchise with a strong focus on item management. For example, you may come across a health pack but in order to pick it up you have to first drop some precious ammo as your inventory is full. Making these tough decisions is key to your survival.  

The franchise is beloved for its incredibly spooky atmosphere as you slowly creep through dark corridors bracing yourself for whatever terror might jump out from the shadows at any moment. The power of the next-gen consoles should take this atmosphere to a whole new level. 

Dead Space Remake story

Dead Space follows the story of Isaac Clarke, an everyday guy thrown into a nightmare situation after he boards the USG Ishimura in search of his missing girlfriend. 

He quickly discovers the ship has been overrun with hideous creatures and he must survive long enough to discover what happened to his partner and get off the ship with his sanity still intact. 

However, the Dead Space Remake could potentially expand beyond the borders of the original game’s story. Creative Director Roman Compos-Oriola told IGN: “For us, the foundation is the Dead Space 1 story. So, by default, that’s what is canon. But then there are some improvements that we want to make to that story.

“Not necessarily improvements because those things were not really working in the original, more improvements because of what came after, and we’re like, ‘Aw man, that’s interesting if we could reference that, or if we could make a link to that.” 

Dead Space Remake next-gen improvements 

Dead Space Remake is exclusively launching on PS5 and Xbox Series X, and without the need to accommodate for a PS4/Xbox version the game can take full advantage of these power new consoles. 

Roman Campos-Oriola recently spoke to IGN about what improvements players can expect from the remake. “In terms of visuals, sound, gameplay, everything, we are rebuilding all of these assets. We are not porting them, it’s not up rezzing the texture or adding more polygons to the model,” said. “It’s really rebuilding all these elements, shooting all the animations, et cetera.”

The super-speedy SSDs that both consoles boast will also be used to create a seamless gameplay experience. “There’s not going to be any loading. There’s not going to be any moment where we’re going to cut your experience, where we’re going to cut your camera. You can play it from the start screen to the end credits seamlessly,” said Campos-Orila. 

3D Audio is another key feature of the next-gen consoles that the Dead Space Remake will take advantage of. Plus there will be significantly stronger accessibility features this time around which will allow a broader set of players to enjoy the game. 

The game has also been developed in collaboration with Dead Space fans. Senior Producer Phillipe Ducharme told IGN that “from the conception, we’ve reached out to members of the community to create a community council to be a sounding board for what we were making.”  

Making sure that if we’re deciding to make a change, we want to be able to explain it and get told if, ‘No, what are you doing? What were you thinking? You’re actually breaking the game, why are you changing this?’,” Ducharme added. 

This approach to taking fan feedback could be invaluable. After all, typically developers only get the opinion of fans once a game is released and it’s too late to make any major changes. However, consulting with Dead Space fans from the get-go will allow for a game that’s potentially much more in line with what players want from a Dead Space title. 

You might also be pleased to know that Dead Space 3’s controversial microtransaction system won’t be returning for the Dead Space Remake. 

Dead Space Remake developer

The developer of the original Dead Space series, Visceral Games, was unfortunately shuttered in 2017 so isn’t returning for this remake. 

However, EA Motive, best known for working on the single-player campaign of Star Wars Battlefront 2 and the online dogfight game Star Wars: Squadrons, is picking up the mantle. 

Interestingly EA Motive did in fact work in collaboration with Visceral on a now-canceled Star Wars game before the studio was shut down. Hopefully, the staff at Visceral passed on some advice on how to make a Dead Space game during that time. 

The game’s most senior director, Eric Baptizat, was also the game direct on Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. Might we see Dead Space turned into an open-world RPG? Well, that’s unlikely but it’s good to know the remake is in the hands of someone with experience leading a largescale development project. 

Dead Space Remake outlook 

Dead Space is long overdue for a revival. Resident Evil Village proved earlier this year that big-budget horror video games are still very much worthwhile and the sales figures suggest there’s certainly an eager market for these games. 

The warm reception of 2019’s Resident Evil 2 remake no doubt helped convince EA that it was the right time to remake Dead Space. While it’s a little disappointing to get a remake rather than a totally new game, the original is still a masterpiece so we can’t wait to play it all over again on powerful next-gen hardware. 

EA seems to be in something of a nostalgic mood at the minute. It’s not just Dead Space returning, the publisher finally gave in to fan pressure and announced a new entry in the Skate franchise last summer. Perhaps the likes of Burnout could be the next long-dormant franchise in line for a new installment.