First, it was said that American game developer Rockstar Games will be making an official announcement about the open world Western action-adventure video game “Red Dead Redemption 2” at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) 2016 held in Los Angeles, California in June.
Rockstar did not push through with its plan apparently because the Orlando shooting incident was quite fresh then and there was reportedly a scene in “Red Dead Redemption 2” where the player character enters a salon and shoots everyone there, which is what the shooter in the Orlando nightclub shooting did, killing 53 people and injuring more than 50 others.
Subsequently, it was rumored that Rockstar Games might finally make an announcement about “Red Dead Redemption 2” at Gamescom 2016 which is now on its final day in Cologne, Germany.
Just like in the E3 2016, the announcement of the official unveiling of “Red Dead Redemption 2” did not happen in the event.
Latest speculations now have it that Rockstar Games could possibly make the announcement about “Red Dead Redemption 2” during Sony’s PlayStation 4 Neo unveiling in September, reports Alphr.
However, since Rockstar Games has yet to say anything official, everyone is cautioned not to raise their expectations at the upcoming event next month so high lest they get disappointed again for the third time in a row.
Some critics also believe that Rockstar Games will not do it next month because the launching of the PlayStation 4 Neo is a slightly smaller event compared to international events in the global video gaming industry. But it would surely surprise gamers and critics if Rockstar suddenly pulls the trigger and make the announcement about “Red Dead Redemption 2” at next month’s event.
Developer is working on the game
What seems consistent with the rumors about the game is that it shall have an official title of “Red Dead Redemption: Legends of the West” when it finally comes out on the gaming consoles, notes Game & Guide.
It also appears clear that Rockstar Games is indeed working on the development of the game at the moment, which the company started doing four years ago.
Now that Rockstar has completed work on updates to “GTA V” as well as the multiplayer “GTA Online,” it certainly has the time to focus on “Red Dead Redemption 2.”
The game developer also had to do it soon because the development of “GTA VI” would be shortly breathing down on the neck of the development of “Red Dead Redemption 2” Rockstar needs to get the latter off its plate soon so that it can work on the heavier task, which is the development of the bigger “GTA VI.”
Under pressure to deliver soon
Many critics believe that because of its massive mainstream success, the pressure is now on Rockstar Games to release “Red Dead Redemption 2” or “GTA 6” very soon, and reports have it that any one of the two games will come out in 2017.
Take-Two, the parent company of Rockstar Games and 2K Games, recently reported the results of the fiscal year 2016 ending on June 30 with a net revenue of $311.6 million.
Based on the breakdown, the main contributors to the gaming company’s net revenue are “GTA 5,” “NBA 2K16,” and “Battleborn.”
When “GTA 5” was released in October 2013, it shipped 11.21 million copies amounting to $800 million worldwide.
In just six weeks after its release, Rockstar reported to have shipped about 29 million copies of the game and went on to become the best-selling digital release on the PlayStation Store.
When Rockstar Games and publisher Sony Computer Entertainment failed to launch and released a gameplay trailer of “Red Dead Redemption 2” during the E3 2016, fans and gamers were dismayed, realizing that they have to wait a little while longer as to when the developer will finally decide to launch the video game.