Hi everyone, today we announced that Dead Space Ignition will be available for download starting tomorrow, and it will be completely free for anyone who pre-orders Dead Space 2. This makes the launch even more exciting for us, and I’m happy to have the chance to tell you more about it.

When we created Dead Space we wanted to establish a living, breathing, and terrifying universe. As we built this universe, we used the comic series and animated feature to expand the core story from the game. We’re taking this to the next level with Dead Space Ignition.

We’re excited about Dead Space Ignition because it brings the franchise to downloadable arcade games for the very first time, with a completely new experience. By combining interactive comic storytelling with three unique arcade games, we can tell a new Dead Space story in a fast-paced, accessible manner.

Before Isaac Clarke begins his adventure on The Sprawl in Dead Space 2, a Necromorph outbreak occurs, and Dead Space Ignition lets you witness the horror first-hand. And you’ll be able to choose your own adventure along the way, as Ignition offers four unique endings.

You’ll play as Franco Delille, an Engineer on The Sprawl. Along with his partner Sarah Andarsyn, he’ll travel to multiple locations trying to contain and survive the Necromorph outbreak. At the end of each story segment you’ll need to complete one of three different hacking games in order to progress.

These three games are called Hardware crack, System Override and Trace Route. Hardware Crack is a puzzler where you must align lasers to complete circuits on a grid, using items such as reflectors and projectors in order to crack through broken control panels. System Override turns tower-defense games on their head, and places you on the offensive. Send your viruses into the system to override the core, timing your attacks to defeat the antivirus and take control of the system. Finally, Trace Route is a sidescrolling race where you run your electrical signal through the system, avoiding security hazards and racing against countermeasures to access the core.

By playing Ignition, you’ll be rewarded with unlocks in Dead Space 2, so you can give Isaac a bit of an edge – and trust me, he’s going to need it. In addition to several helpful items, you’ll unlock the exclusive Hacker suit and a matching Hacker weapon skin for Isaac.

The story, the hacking games, and the exclusive unlocks for Isaac make Ignition a great way to experience the events leading up to Dead Space 2. However, as I mentioned earlier, the most exciting news about Dead Space Ignition is that we are offering the entire game for free to anyone who pre-orders Dead Space 2. So if you are a Dead Space fan, it’s pretty much a no-brainer.

Dead Space Ignition is available tomorrow on the PlayStation Network. We’re really excited to see what all of you think!