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RIP ‘Dead Space’ Dev Visceral Games
Sad news for those fans of Dead Space and Dante’s Inferno, as EA has decided to close down Visceral Games. The reasoning for the closure is due to the nature of Visceral’s current project, a single-player Star Wars game, and the view based on “fundamental shifts in the marketplace” that require EA to “pivot the design”. That game will now be headed up by EA Vancouver.
Visceral Games started out as EA’s Redwood Shores studio. The studio changed its name to Visceral Games in 2009 following the release of Dead Space in 2008. Their catalog of games ranges from the previously mentioned Dead Space series and Dante’s Inferno, to licensed games based on films like The Godfather and Lord Of The Rings. Recently, the company spent time working on DLC for Battlefield and the spin-off Battlefield Hardline.
Obviously, anyone who’s been around the industry knows that this happens on occasion, and EA is no stranger to situations like these. Studios like Maxis, Bullfrog, Pandemic, Origin and Westwood have all been laid to rest under EA’s watch, mostly due to poor performance of those studios’ games. And after the lukewarm reception to Dead Space 3, and the franchise’s subsequent hibernation, it seemed like it was only a matter of time.
— Visceral Games (@VisceralGames) October 17, 2017
This story was originally posted on Plenty Dreadful. Head there for more horror video game goodness!
All of us here at Bloody Disgusting are deeply sad to learn that The Blob director Chuck Russell has passed away at 74 years old.
Russell’s career began with his directorial debut, 1987’s A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors.
The multihyphenate film director, screenwriter, and producer is best known for helming 1994 comedy The Mask starring Jim Carrey, Arnold Schwarzenegger actioner Eraser, and adventure spinoff The Scorpion King. The latter served as the first leading role for Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
The filmmaker left an indelible mark on horror with his ANOES sequel, 1988’s The Blob, and 2000’s Bless the Child.
Russell’s final film credit is 2024’s Witchboard remake starring Madison Iseman (I Know What You Did Last Summer), Aaron Dominguez (Only Murders in the Building), and Jamie Campbell Bower (“Stranger Things”).
It marked Russell’s return to horror after a lengthy hiatus, and he shared sequel hopes to Bloody Disgusting in an interview ahead of the remake’s release: “I got to design the board with real mystical symbols and things that I know represent good and evil, and where that board takes us if the audiences respond to the film, and I hope they will; I know it’s out there for you guys, but the sequel is a world we’ll get to go a little further. That’s sure the intention.”
He also recently expressed interest in returning to the franchise that began his career.
TMZ notes that Russell passed away at his San Diego-area home.
We send our deepest condolences to Chuck Russell’s family, friends, and fans.
Director, Co-Writer & Producer Chuck Russell behind the scenes of the horror film, WITCHBOARD. Photo courtesy of The Avenue and Atlas Distribution
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