Perhaps as a bit of a blow to the fanbase orbiting the original game, developer Visceral Games is making Dead Space 2 a more action-oriented affair than its moody predecessor, senior VP Nick Earl says. The reason behind the shift in gameplay focus? So the game could appeal to a “tremendously wide” audience, apparently.

“The first [Dead Space] was well received, and we want to take advantage of that start with something that has tremendously wide appeal,” Earl told IndustryGamers. “We’re more focused on the action than the horror this time. We’re more empowering to the player. We’ve got a lot of feature innovation and we feel comfortable because we have something with resonance and we have something that’s so capable.”

“I’ve heard some people say that Dead Space was the most ‘un-EA game’ they had seen, and they meant it as a compliment! … That’s one thing we like about Visceral; we can really establish a new audience with it. I feel it’s on the pathway to greatness and being widely recognized. We love the culture we’ve established in doing edgy properties like Dead Space and Dante’s Inferno, created with the philosophy ‘let’s build quality and let the rest follow.’”

The game should be out before March 2011, EA confirmed during a conference call last month.