Visceral Games won the hearts of many video game fans through the creation of the Dead Space games, but unfortunately the studio is now no more. Publisher and parent company Electronic Arts has revealed that is has closed down Visceral Games in a recent statement.

"Our Visceral studio will be ramping down and closing," stated Electronic Arts' Patrick Soderlund in the release. "We’re in the midst of shifting as many of the team as possible to other projects and teams at EA." Unfortunately, this means that this well-loved developer has now closed its doors.

Although some may be surprised by the news, others had been concerned about the future of Visceral Games for some time. Dead Space 3 did not quite reach the high sales expectations set of it, and the game's mixed reception from long-term fans due to a greater focus on action left many wondering about the status of the series and the stability of Visceral as a whole.

Battlefield: Hardline, too, did not quite reach the expectations set upon release, leaving plenty of fans worried about whether Visceral would be able to bounce back. Unfortunately, in spite of the studio's work on a new Star Wars game, apparently a new direction for the game in question has resulted in Visceral's closure altogether, with the Star Wars project now moving to EA Vancouver.

This will likely be unpopular news for those who wanted to see this Star Wars game reach its conclusion, given how well its concepts had been received. Indeed, the story-driven title had been described as groundbreaking in early details released, and the project had managed to pull together a dream team of developers with pedigree, such as Portal designer Kim Swift.

However, this Star Wars project may well change considerably with its move over to EA Vancouver, and Visceral's closure could have ramifications for other major properties. It's long been agreed that it's time for a new Dead Space, but the status of that franchise is now truly up in the air. With Electronic Arts moving as many of those at Visceral into other EA teams, hopefully the former employees of Visceral are able to land on their feet.

Source: Electronic Arts