Almost five years after its release, Red Dead Redemption 2 has continued to smash sales milestones. Red Dead Redemption 2, like its predecessor, has been a massive success for Rockstar, despite the lack of post-launch support for the game.
Upon its release in 2018, Red Dead Redemption 2 was universally lauded as a masterpiece. Its remarkable attention to detail and heartbreaking story meant that it instantly earned a place among gaming's greats. The game was a technical marvel, squeezing the last ounces of power from the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Because of this, many fans had hoped to see an update to the game, allowing it to fully utilize the power of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. However, current rumors suggest that a next-gen version of Red Dead Redemption 2 is in jeopardy, and may never see the light of day. It would be a huge shame, with the game deserving to be seen in as high-detail as possible.
The parent company of Rockstar Games, Take-Two Interactive, recently posted its financials for the last quarter, revealing that the title had recently reached the 50 million sales mark. The feat has surely been helped by the mainstream success of the Grand Theft Auto franchise, which has made Rockstar Games and its products household names. It speaks to the greatness of the game, that players just aren't ready to let it go yet, with Red Dead Redemption 2 only recently achieving its peak concurrent player count on Steam.
The immense sales figures for the game are sure to spark conversation about the future of the franchise. With any franchise that sells 50 million copies, fans can be sure they'll see more. But with Rockstar, it's often a case of when, rather than if. The attention to detail spent on the games means that even with teams of thousands, development can take many years. There is even speculation that any potential Red Dead Redemption 3 wouldn't be released until the 2030s, which would be enormous. For now, players will have to settle for what they have. Fortunately, what they have is one of the most expansive and detailed video games of all time.
Despite the release of Red Dead Online alongside Red Dead Redemption 2, the games have suffered a huge lack of post-launch support from Rockstar. This only makes the game's sales figures more impressive, as fans are still buying into the base game released over four years ago. It's unclear as to why the game was seemingly abandoned so fast, especially when Grand Theft Auto Online continues to receive updates to this day. The success of the Shark Cards in Grand Theft Auto Online is almost certainly a factor, although Grand Theft Auto 6's leaked development may also be key. Rockstar's development resources may just be spent working on its Grand Theft Auto 5 sequel.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Source: GamesIndustry.biz, Push Square
