Source: The Reuters news service.

　　What we heard: Electronic Arts has yet to officially announce a follow-up to 2008's acclaimed Dead Space for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC, but developer Visceral Games has ostensibly already begun staffing up for it. Last month, EA began accepting applications to work on a sequel, saying "the game is in the later stages of preproduction, ready for production in the next few months, with many of the navigational and combat mechanics in place."

　　Given the advanced state of preparations for Dead Space 2's full-blown development, it's conceivable the game could launch by late next year. That window appeared to have been confirmed today when, as part of a Halloween-themed feature on horror games, Reuters reported that Dead Space 2 is indeed shipping next year. The news service offered no other details on the unannounced sequel, nor did it attribute EA as the source of its information.

　　EA is apparently breathing new life into Dead Space next year. The Dead Space franchise has had no problems securing critical plaudits, but getting those high review scores to translate into blockbuster sales has been a different story altogether. In May, EA said that the original Dead Space had sold more than 1.4 million units worldwide, a figure the publisher previously deemed satisfactory. However, its Wii prequel, Dead Space Extraction, has experienced a slower start. According to the NPD Group, the game shifted just 9,200 units during its first week at retail in the US.

　　The official story: "This comment by the Reuters reporter is speculative," an EA representative told GameSpot. "There is no announcement for a Dead Space sequel (or in this case, prequel) beyond Dead Space Extraction."

　　Bogus or not bogus?: Bogus that EA has formally announced Dead Space 2, or that the game is confirmed for a 2010 release. However, given that the publisher has previously said that a Dead Space sequel is well into development, it will likely arrive next year.