Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’s director confirms he’s helming the Dead Space remake

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’s game director has confirmed he’s taken on the same role for EA’s Dead Space remake.

Eric Baptizat joined EA’s Motive Studio earlier this year to work on an unannounced project. However, the Ubisoft veteran has now confirmed on social media that he’s acting as the game director for the newly-announced Dead Space remake.

Baptizat had worked at Ubisoft for 16 years, most notably as the director of Valhalla, and the lead designer for other Assassin’s Creed entries including Origins, and Black Flag.

The most senior development figure on the Dead Space remake other than Baptizat is another Ubisoft veteran, creative director Roman Campos-Oriola.

Campos-Oriola joined from Ubisoft Montreal last year, where he was previously the creative director for online brawler For Honor. Before that, he was lead designer for Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier (2012), and Red Steel 1 and 2 (2006, 2010).

Dead Space was announced during Electronic Arts’ EA Play Live showcase last month, finally confirming the long-expected remake project. Following the announcement, VGC analysis offered some context on who’s working on the Dead Space remake.

The art director in charge of the Dead Space remake’s visual direction is Mike Yazijian. Yazijian actually worked on the art for Dead Space 2 as part of Visceral’s now-closed Montreal division.

further reading

Analysis: Who’s working on the Dead Space remake?

Veterans from Ubisoft, BioWare and more are working on the EA Motive revival

Another developer who worked on the original Dead Space, former UX director Dino Ignacio, has confirmed he’s consulting EA Motive on the game’s direction and claimed that the game will be “a full on remake” and not just a remaster.

Gary Stewart, a former BioWare level designer who worked on every Mass Effect game since 2, is leading level design for the Dead Space remake.

Leads from the original Dead Space who almost certainly won’t be involved in the remake are those currently attached to the Striking Distance studio. Striking Distance is working on its own sci-fi horror game, The Callisto Protocol, helmed by Dead Space creator Glen Schofield and chief development officer Steve Papoutsis.

The Dead Space Remake dev team (so far)

• Roman Campos-Oriola, creative director (For Honor)
• Eric Baptizat, game director (Assassin’s Creed Valhalla)
• Mike Yazijian, art director (Arkham Origins, Dead Space 2)
• Philippe Ducharme, senior producer (Assassin’s Creed: Unity)
• Gary Stewart, lead level designer (Mass Effect series)
• Jessica Maher, UX designer (Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla)
• Daphney Alarie, senior technical designer (Assassin’s Creed Valhalla)
• Shadi Mallak, senior technical designer (Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag)
• Alexis Dumas, senior 3D environment artist (Mass Effect Andromeda)
• Maximilien Faubert, senior VFX artist (Shadow of the Tomb Raider)
• Alma Talbot, development manager (Star Wars Squadrons)
• Pierre-Vincent Bélisle, gameplay tech lead (Mass Effect Andromeda)
• Stephen Yu, senior gameplay animator (Batman Arkham Knight, Sleeping Dogs)
• Jo Berry, writer (Mass Effect Andromeda)
• Xavier Perreault, senior environment artist (Star Wars Battlefront II)
• Mathieu Tétrault, senior lighting artist (Star Wars Squadrons)
• Robin Bonhoure, senior technical artist