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A great deal of news came out of EA's Q3 earnings report yesterday; enough to make us overlook this item: The early 2011 listing for Dead Space 2 didn't reference a PC version of he title, as was previously announced. Blue's News reportedly contacted Electronic Arts about the absence of the listing, and was told by a representative that "as of right now a PC sku is not in the plan."

That doesn't mean a PC version of the game is never coming out -- after all, the game's release window is still a year away. We've contacted EA to see exactly what "the plan" entails. Perhaps an elaborate casino heist?

The company says its survival horror sequel is less survival and more action; compares the game's intensity to Modern Warfare and Uncharted.

The company says its survival horror sequel is less survival and more action; compares the game's intensity to Modern Warfare and Uncharted.

A week from the launch of Dante's Inferno, no one would expect Visceral Games' Nick Earl to reveal any uncertainty about sales, but Industry Gamers did attempt to elicit a reaction from the senior VP -- by reminding Earl that his studio's new game will share a release date with BioShock 2 (never mind that it's surrounded on either month by other big-name releases). "In life, there's the things you can control and things you can't control," Earl said somewhat poetically. "I can't be too concerned with our competitive slate; our team has put so much time into Dante's Inferno, and I have a lot of faith in it." Perhaps "faith" is a natural result of working with the source material, but more likely Earl can sleep at night because he knows he has the support of a strong marketing budget. As a work of public domain, Dante's Inferno is that rare double-bonus for EA: a recognizable property and free to adapt -- no strings attached. In turn, EA has invested in a resounding "buzz" that targeted game outlets early with memorable stunts and will culminate in an unprecedented Super Bowl spot. "There may have been [a Super Bowl ad] from Atari years ago, but it has not been done in recent memory, and it shows the confidence we have in Dante's Inferno," Earl said of the publisher's first Super Bowl commercial, which will air on Sunday. With Dante's Inferno out of his hands, Earl confirmed that the majority of Visceral's staff is shifting to Dead Space 2 (while a small team continues to work on Dante's DLC). "We're more focused on the action than the horror this time," Earl said of the apparent ACTION-horror sequel. "We're more empowering to the player."

EA is informally considering a limited edition release of Dead Space 2 (surprise!) and has taken to Facebook to get some ideas from fans about what to include in it. "I will have our Executive Producer Steve Papoutsis comment on some of your suggestions next week," the announcement reads, " ... so make them good!" Presumably, Papoutsis will select his favorite suggestions -- already ideas are as tame as comics and as outrageous as a life-size plasma cutter -- and submit them to EA, which will then toss those out and proceed with a Collector's Edition featuring a soundtrack and an artbook. [Via Blue's News]

[Game Informer] It was hinted at again and again... and again, until it was finally confirmed. Dead Space 2 is officially a thing that exists, and the sequel will land on the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC at some point. Until then, EA's Visceral Games is in full-blown tease mode. Today's tidbit of Dead Space 2 info comes in the form of a Game Informer-exclusive "3D" screenshot. The image features the game's hero, Isaac Clark, fighting off a horrific childlike necromorph. Well, to be honest, we assume the pair are fighting. For all we know the two characters could be moments away from a beautiful holiday embrace. (Mistletoe may or may not be involved.) Check out Game Informer's dedicated Dead Space 2 site to see the shot in all its interactive glory.

Dead Space 2 is shaping up to be quite the sequel, as executive producer Steve Papoutsis told CVG a lot of what we've heard about the Game Informer cover story is in fact true: engineer Isaac Clarke is a lot more vocal in the sequel and won't be confined to the claustrophobic corridors of the Ishimura. Instead, he's now an inhabitant of the space metropolis Sprawl. Papoutsis did more than validate suspicions in his interview, as he also pointed out a greater focus on action and telekinesis in the sequel. See, Isaac won't just be able to move objects around, but he'll be able to destroy those objects and employ their debris as offensive weaponry. In fact, Isaac can even use dismembered enemy limbs to kill more enemies. It's kinda like when that bully at recess used to make you punch yourself, except he's sliced your arm off first and is firing it toward you at blue hedgehog-like speed. Of course, an interview about Dead Space 2 can't go by without discussing the sudden departure of Glenn Schofield and Michael Condry, the two gentlemen now running Sledgehammer Games for Activision. Papoutsis said that most of the team from the first game is on board for the sequel, and that it "takes a lot more than 2 people to make a great game." We hope so, because we have high aspirations for this sequel.

Prepare to be scared all over again.

Terrifying video game news site Rely On Horror claims to have recently gotten its hands on the next issue of Game Informer, which contains a pretty comprehensive breakdown of the new methods of Necromorph murder featured in Dead Space 2. According to the site, the Informer article reveals that the game's designers are trying to make the game spookier, placing hero Isaac Clarke (who learned the ability to speak between games, it seems) in more death-defying situations, and likely a few impossible-to-defy-death situations as well. According to the report, the game's action has moved off of the Ishimura, instead placing Clarke on the similarly monster-infested interstellar city Sprawl, which dwarfs the original game's setting in size. Finally, the article supposedly ends with the developer dropping the following tease regarding multiplayer: "All I can say is it's really fun, and you'll get to strategically dismember your friends." Oh, man -- Bushido Laser-Saw confirmed! Or, rather, it might be confirmed. There's no way to tell for sure until we get our hands on the Clarke-covered magazine. [Via VG247]

Game Informer's next issue is going to shed some eerie, bluish-greenish light on the just-announced Dead Space 2, but they're already showing off a new look for lead miner/Necromorph killer Isaac Clark. While we question the wisdom of worrying about fashion in the middle of Necromorph onslaught, we can't argue it's not a snappy look. While we're thinking of it, is anybody else getting a total Guyver vibe from the new duds? No? Just us? Fair enough.

Necromorph's return is official.

Not official art, actually Do us a favor and read the following sentence really slowly -- seriously, savor it. It's been hinted and teased at enough to give the world's remaining necromorphs a heart attack, but Dead Space 2 has finally been officially announced for PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Now, you might be wondering why you had to take your time with that easily understandable sentence. Well ... we don't really have anything else to tell you. It's still Visceral, it's still Isaac Clark, it's still the necromorph invasion. We don't even have a release window. The best thing EA has to say is, "Survival isn't the only thing on Isaac's mind in Dead Space 2 - this time, he calls the shots," which makes it sound like our engineer protagonist dumped his abusive boyfriend and moved to the big city to work in an office pool with Dolly Parton and Morgan Fairchild. ... Actually, that sounds pretty good.

Considering the artwork depicted on the "next month" page of November's Official PlayStation Magazine, it requires only the slightest of hops to reach the conclusion that a new Dead Space announcement is lurking just around the corner. Allegedly snapped by GOONL!NE (as in the connectivity instruction, not the lineup of criminals), the artwork features a grotesque, tentacled creature viewed through what appears to be the iconic toaster visor of Dead Space protagonist Isaac Clarke. The site confidently suggests that the creature itself is derived from the original game's concept art. Now's the time to strategically remember several job listings, which mentioned a Dead Space follow-up, along with EA CEO John Riccitiello's recently expressed desire to have EA focus on more profitable, safer games. What could be safer than an isolated spaceship sending out a distress call? The November issue of Official PlayStation Magazine is on sale behind youuuuu in the UK right now. [Via CVG]

Electronic Arts responds, says article is total speculation.

LinkedIn continues to provide our only link to the status of a true sequel to Dead Space. A recent job posting on the professional networking site, created by EA senior recruiter Jeff Ballard, reports, "The previous installment in the Dead Space franchise received numerous awards ... and the same core team is in place to create an even better follow up." The posting adds, "The game is in the later stages of pre-production, ready for production in the next few months, with many of the navigational and combat mechanics in place."With the point-n-shoot spin-off, Dead Space Extraction, releasing this week for Wii, confirmation that the core-series sequel (expected for PS3, Xbox 360 and PC) will soon roll into production phase comes as welcome news to fans looking for the franchise to stay the traditional course. Hopefully, EA and developer Visceral Games' transmissions will continue to pick up from here on out.[Via superannuation]