Ever since the game released back in 2008, Dead Space and its two sequels have become an iconic staple of video game horror. The franchise became so revered that series’ protagonist Isaac Clarke even began to pop up outside the terrifying halls of the USG Ishimura, rather humorously appearing alongside Tiger Woods in PGA Tour 10, kick flipping down stairways in Skate 3, and shooting hoops in NBA Jam: Fire Edition. While these are no doubt very strange crossovers, as it turns out, there’s more logic behind these Dead Space cameos than one might expect.
Responding to a tweet reminding fans of “that hot second where EA kept trying to act like Isaac Clarke from dead space was this iconic universally beloved character," a former EA Redwood Shores dev by the name of Ben Johnson explained why the protagonist made so many wacky guest appearances. “All these games used the same basic model rig," Johnson stated, “so adding Isaac was as simple as importing the model. Dead Space's engine was a branch off of Tiger Woods, which was made in the same studio as Dead Space back then.”
Despite how ostensibly different all these games appear, it may come as a big surprise to fans that they were all developed using the same tools, meaning the frightening halls of Dead Space have a lot more in common with the luscious vistas of a golf course than it first appears. With so many of these games being developed under the same roof, It makes a lot of sense why the character would make a guest appearance in other titles, but it can’t help but feel hilarious none the less.
For those unaware, EA Redwood Shores, the developers behind Dead Space and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10, were eventually rebranded into the now universally known Visceral Games. Under that mantle, the developer released Dead Space 2 and Dead Space 3 as well as securing a deal to make a single-player Star Wars game that would be written by former Naughty Dog writer Amy Hennig. Of course, Visceral Games closed following a string of unfortunate incidents back in 2017, with the team’s Star Wars project being closed down and moved over to EA Vancouver.
The shift falls in line with EA’s claims that it was dedicated to multiplayer experiences over single-player ones, with the company supposedly turning the project into a ‘games as a service’ title akin to the likes of Destiny. This left fans disappointed, many of whom were looking forward to playing Visceral’s single-player, story-focused take on the Star Wars universe.
Dead Space is out now for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360.