In a recent interview with NowGamer.com, the writer of the original Dead Space, Antony Johnston, called the series' continued focus on action over survival horror a "necessary evil".
"I’m personally a big fan of old-school survival horror, and that was one of the main reasons I wanted to work on Dead Space. So the greater emphasis on big action in the sequels means they’re not really for me," Johnston said. It's all about expanding the Universe of Dead Space, and broadening the fan base. Johnston also made the point that if Dead Space had continued to focus solely on horror, each new game would have been similar to the original, but just on a different ship giving the franchise very little room to grow in terms of scope and storytelling, "and that’s pretty dull" Johnston said.
For more on Dead Space 3, check out our review.