Former Gears of War developer says “true horror games” will see a resurgence when industry becomes fully digital.

According to former Epic Games design director Cliff Bleszinski, a $60 horror game like Dead Space 3 is a tough sell. Writing on his personal Tumblr, the longtime game developer claimed such games are more commonly rented than purchased.

“In the $60 disc-based market horror doesn’t fly,” Bleszinski said. “It’s the ultimate ‘Campaign Rental’ that’s played for 2 days and traded in and I’m sure [publisher Electronic Arts] knows this.”

Bleszinski added that “true horror” games do exist today (he called out PC games Slender and Amnesia: The Dark Descent as examples), but they will not become prominent until the industry goes fully digital.

He also commented on evolution of the Dead Space series. Bleszinski said what began as a more “confined” horror experience has morphed into something much more broad, and this may not be a bad thing.

“At the end of the day, this franchise feels like it’s starting as a solo experience, a solitary and confined horror game, and now it’s evolving into much more than that,” he said. “You can either fight it or embrace it. I choose the latter, as at the end of the day it’s FUN.”

Original Dead Space writer Antony Johnston said last week that Dead Space 3’s new action focus was a “necessary evil” to broaden the game’s fan base. For more on Dead Space 3, check out GameSpot’s review.

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