Dead Space 2

Early pre-order numbers are looking quite promising for Visceral Games, as Dead Space 3 is reportedly racking up more than five times as many early buyers as Dead Space 2 did before release. It’s a good sign for the developer, as they’ve been under notable pressure from publisher EA to justify the high budget and production costs of the Dead Space franchise.

Videogamer brings the good word straight from EA Labels president Frank Gibeau, who highlighted the news on EA’s latest investor relations call:

“We believe the new co-op gameplay feature is attracting a lot of attention and a broader audience,” he said.

But Dead Space 3 isn’t the only EA game tracking higher than its predecessor.

Crysis 3 pre-orders “are roughly three-times what they were for Crysis 2, at this time in 2010,” EA confirmed.

At least we can all sleepy soundly now, knowing that EA’s rich business partners will be able to continue affording their multi-million dollar houses, family-owned yachts, and french maids.

Many fans have balked at Dead Space 3 incorporating co-op gameplay and less “horror” elements, and EA will be putting the game under a lot of scrutiny. Dead Space 2 sales were disappointing to say the least, as it failed to outsell the original title by a sizable margin last year.

If Dead Space 3 doesn’t perform better than the original Dead Space, it’s even possible we could be looking at the end of the franchise as we know it. After all, diminishing returns are never a good sign for any blockbuster series.

Source: Videogamer