Industry insider Jeff Grubb has revealed that EA Motive is working on a revival of an established franchise from the Electronics Arts vault, and the new game will be revealed this coming July around the publisher's EA Play event. EA Games has a very long history in the gaming industry full of games it originated and acquired that many fans would love to see make a return in some form. From the early days of Wing Commander and Crusader to more recent releases like Mirror's Edge and arcade racing legend Burnout, EA's lineup of past hits is full of potential, and EA knows it.
The past couple of years have been a renaissance for EA's older properties, something that seemed impossible when the company was focused solely on the Star War license just a few short years ago. Last year saw the release of Command & Conquer Remastered Collection, a full-scale remake of the original PC strategy game with help from the original developers. In addition, EA has announced that it's bringing back the Skate franchise following meme-esque fan demand that lasted for several years. After the success of C&C and the positive reception to a new Skate, it only makes sense that the publisher would continue down this path.
Now, VGC pulled together several teases from GamesBeat's own Jeff Grubb into a report that reveals EA's plans to announce the revival of a significant IP this July. On his podcast, Grubb previously confirmed that developer EA Motive was working with an established IP, and more recently teased that players would be happy with the project and that everyone would see it soon... "if we're not dead first." This tease feeds into existing speculation that the franchise in question is Dead Space, a series that hasn't seen a new release since 2013.
It would make sense to have a new team at the helm of a Dead Space revival since original developer Visceral Games was shuttered by EA several years ago after the cancellation of a Star Wars project known internally as Ragtag. EA Motive also suffered cancellations earlier this year after work stopped in February on a new open-world IP that was codenamed Gaia. The team did release Star Wars Squadrons last fall and has several other unknown projects in the works, and this presumably includes the incoming EA IP revival.
Electronic Arts has seemingly come a long way from the days of wanting players to feel "pride and accomplishment" in buying loot boxes for Star Wars Battlefront II. The company likely has quite a bit farther to go before it's possible to win over certain sections of the gaming public burned by that particular incident. Still, bringing back a beloved franchise that went away too soon may work wonders in that department. Whether the IP revival is indeed a return to the horror-filled space stations of Dead Space or something else entirely, the speculation surrounding July's EA Play event has only just begun.
Source: VGC, Jeff Grubb/YouTube, Jeff Grub/Twitter