According to Dead Space creator Glen Schofield, it’s not developers, but executives who have killed real creativity in the industry. He says a bloody, limb-chopping space horror wouldn’t even make it past the pitch meeting with today’s publishers. The iconic designer believes video game companies have become so cautious that games like Dead Space could never be made now.

In 2008, a game starring a space engineer rocked the entire industry. Dead Space made video game history by redefining space horror and proving the genre could innovate at the AAA level. Many years have passed since then—so many that even the creator of EA’s legendary franchise released another title that failed to hit the mark. The Callisto Protocol was a flop, but it left Glen Schofield with lasting lessons.

Having led both projects, Schofield now believes a new Dead Space wouldn’t get the green light today. In an interview with Sector, the veteran designer explained that today’s industry favors safe formulas over originality. “The ideas we used in Dead Space, like the diegetic back-mounted UI, the lack of a HUD, or dismemberment, were crazy back then, but now they’re normal. It was a time when we were coming up with crazy ideas.”

“It’s harder these days.” Schofield adds. “You say, ‘Let’s make him grow a knife out of his head!’ and people say, ‘That’s been done before.’ So you have to get creative.” Schofield blames not the developers but the decision-making executives for the lack of creativity. “That’s exactly the problem. The problem isn’t the developers, it’s the executives—and I’ve been one of them for over 20 years!”

The Industry Has Changed Since the Pandemic

Schofield also discussed how studios were flooded with cash during the pandemic—Jade Raymond’s $200 million funding being a prime example. “During COVID, the industry was booming. Executives were pouring a lot of money into studios, sometimes giving them huge budgets. They were handing out studios and games like candy.” Now, years later, investors have shifted to smaller projects “with $10 million,” ignoring the fact that fans still crave ambitious, big-budget titles. “Fans still want big games. Not just games as services. They want big games too.”

Source: 3djuegos