The recently released modern remake of seminal horror classic Dead Space has been a smash hit, sweeping both critical acclaim and financial success. Naturally this is good indication that the IP is well and truly back from the dead - oddly fitting - and apparently the developers already have ideas for a sequel.

Any prospect of future Dead Space games raises one key question - from where will the developers continue the story? Will we get a remake of 2011's Dead Space 2, a sequel and proper continuation of the overall story following the cliffhanger ending of Dead Space 3's DLC, or will EA create a sequel to the Dead Space remake that diverges from the previously established story?

Dead Space senior producer Phil Ducharme and creative director Roman Campos-Oriola commented on the future of the franchise, albeit as vaguely as possible. We've come to expect this sort of thing whenever dealing with uncertain, unannounced future projects, but it's a good sign at the very least that sequels are being talked about.

"For sure, it's, it's a hope that we have. There's interest on my side and I think on Roman's side – you can see his smile – in exploring Dead Space more. There are ideas, that's for sure." said Ducharme when asked about a sequel to the remake.

"We're finishing this week, we're going to be making sure that that launch goes well and that there are as few technical issues as possible. We're gonna be heading out on vacation and then we'll sit down and we'll have those discussions within EA to say, 'Well, what's next?'"

Some answers, or at the very least hints, already exist in the game. These indicate that the developers involved in Dead Space have already given thought to how things should continue, however the hints are vague enough to give the studio the freedom to explore multiple paths.

While the Dead Space remake is a spectacularly faithful interpretation of the 2008 original, leaving the story entirely intact-but-expanded with additional voice lines, one weightier change came in the form of the new secret ending players could unlock in New Game+.

We're not going to go into spoiler territory, but the secret ending is a much more elegant and direct setup of the status quo in Dead Space 2, tying the two stories much closer together. You'll have to do a lot of collectible hunting to unlock this ending, though.

Other hints come in the form of cryptic messages scrawled in Marker symbols that fans have managed to translate - some of these apparently refer to Tau Voltanis, the setting of Dead Space 3, and the Oracles, who are shadowy agents introduced in supplementary Dead Space lore such as the comics.

If early reports, overwhelmingly positive fan reactions and universal critical praise are anything to go on, the Dead Space remake is definitely enough of a success to warrant keeping the franchise around longer. While the future direction for Isaac Clarke's necromorph-stomping trauma trips is up in the air, we definitely hope that the story left hanging in Dead Space 3 will be continued.

Dead Space (2023) is available on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.