Publisher says addition of co-op in upcoming shooter Dead Space 3 was a result of research that concluded some gamers would enjoy playing the game with a buddy.

Dead Space 3 will be the first entry in the series to feature co-op, but why now? Speaking to MCV, EA Games' marketing executive Laura Miele said the publisher conducted research that concluded some gamers found the original single-player Dead Space and Dead Space 2 "pretty scary" to play alone.

Playing with the lights off is up to you.

…We were doing research coming out of Dead Space 1 and 2 and we…re really proud of those products. We received feedback to understand how we can take the game out to even more consumers,… she said. …We were hearing feedback that they love the thriller game, but it was pretty scary, and the obvious next step was that they wanted to play with someone. So we introduced co-op into the game."

Miele made clear that the introduction of co-op in Dead Space 3 will not compromise the horror component that was a focus in the first two games.

…The horror of Dead Space is still all there," she said. "It…s still true to its roots and no less scary, but people felt far more comfortable playing it with someone else than they did doing it on their own. We…re looking for that to reach out to consumers that perhaps were not open to Dead Space 1 and 2.…

Dead Space 3 is due out in February 2013 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. A Wii U version is not planned. The game sees series hero Isaac Clarke return, but this time he has help in the form of co-op partner John Carver. Together, players will battle Necromorphs on a new ice planet called Tau Volantis.

[CORRECTION] An earlier version of this story's headline did not present Miele's comments entirely accurately. GameSpot regrets the error.

For more on Dead Space 3, check out GameSpot's latest preview.

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