Dead Space developers Visceral Games have been shuttered according to an announcement by parent publishing megaglomerate EA.
Executive vice president at EA Patrick Söderlund made the announcement amid news that the studio’s current project, a Star Wars action game under directorship of Uncharted alumnus Amy Hennig, will be undergoing some changes.
The ‘story-based, linear adventure game’ will now be changed to reflect trends in the way players consume games.
“It has become clear that to deliver an experience that players will want to come back to and enjoy for a long time to come, we needed to pivot the design,” said Söderlund in the blog post. “We will maintain the stunning visuals, authenticity in the Star Wars universe, and focus on bringing a Star Wars story to life. Importantly, we are shifting the game to be a broader experience that allows for more variety and player agency.”
That sounds a lot like changing a single-player experience, the sort Hennig was capable of turning into masterpieces of the genre like Uncharted, into a “games as service” model. Which sounds bad.
Söderlund also said that a team from across EA Worldwide Studios would be taking over development, led by the Vancouver studio – famed for its EA Sports Big line of extreme sports games.
EA still expects the yet untitled Star Wars game to launch in late fiscal year 2019, but what shape it will arrive in is still very much unknown.
