Take-Two’s CEO Strauss Zelnick revealed he is sure the upcoming Red Dead Redemption 2 will be ‘a huge hit.’ In an interview conducted at this year’s E3, Zelnick explained his thoughts regarding the production and the future reception of the game.
Red Dead Redemption first debuted in May 2010 and was made available on the platforms of Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. The game, which was developed by Rockstar San Diego and published by Rockstar Games, is an action-adventure based video game with a Western theme. The first game in the series was immensely well received and was awarded an impressive rating of 95 out of 100 by the review website Metacritic. As of February 2017, the game had sold over 15 million copies, and has been named the third best PS3 game. In October 2016, Rockstar Games announced that a sequel was in the works for the future progression of the Red Dead Redemption series, which is planned to release later this year.
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In an interview released by Game Informer, the CEO of Rockstar’s video game holding company Take-Two has confirmed that he believes the sequel will be a hit. During this year’s E3 convention, Zelnick shared his thoughts in regards to whether the game will be able to fill the shoes of GTA V. Even five years following its release, Grand Theft Auto V still remains as one of the most profitable video games of all time as it’s almost sold 100 million copies globally. When asked if he believes that Red Dead Redemption 2 will surpass the success of GTA V, he went onto explain:
"Look, Grand Theft Auto is the most profitable entertainment property of all time. That’s a pretty big statement. I don’t think the challenge for any one of our releases is if it’s as successful as another release. I think the challenge is, have we made something of which we’re incredibly proud? Have we made an experience that we think consumers are going to love and have a lot of fun with? I think the answer is hands-down yes with Red Dead and consumers seem to be eagerly anticipating it, so that’s good enough for me.”
Grand Theft Auto V was released by Rockstar Games in September 2013 and has since broke ground in the video game industry. Its continually updated online multi-player mode and newly released content has kept fans entertained and wanting more. While Red Dead Redemption may not live up to the complete success of the video game giant GTA V, it’s still known to be one of the most anticipated games of 2018 with audiences eagerly awaiting its release. Zelnick said of Red Dead Redemption 2:
"Do I think it’ll be a hit? Yes. Do I think it’ll be a huge hit? Yes. Do I know how huge of a hit it will be? I actually don’t, I mean I really don’t. I know the team has put their heart and soul into it and it shows."
Rockstar Games has been known for revolutionizing the industry and the developer’s games are constantly attracting larger numbers of gamers on an international scale. When it comes to comparing Red Dead and Grand Theft Auto, it’s important to keep in mind that the two series are very separate, so it may not be all that fair to base the success of Red Dead 2 on comparison to its peer GTA V. Both franchises have been adored by many for their immersive gameplay and riveting development, so both are understandably going to make quite the dent in the video game market.
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Red Dead Redemption 2 will be released on Playstation 4 and Xbox One on October 26.
Source: Game Informer