‘Red Dead Redemption 2’ Official, ‘Red Dead Online’ Domain Registered By Rockstar Games
As expected, Red Dead Redemption 2 was officially announced by Rockstar Games on Tuesday following some online teases. The developer announced only the platforms and a target window release date without much more information. However, a website domain was registered by the publisher that points to a GTA Online-like experience.
Red Dead Redemption 2 will come to the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in fall 2017, per Rockstar’s announcement. The original Red Dead Redemption did not release on the PC, and that appears to be the case for now for the sequel. It is possible it will come to the platform after the console release a la Grand Theft Auto 5.
Rockstar Games plans to release a trailer on Thursday, August 20 at 11 a.m. ET/8 a.m. PT. No other details have been revealed by the studio other than the following description.
“An epic tale of life in America’s unforgiving heartland, the game’s vast and atmospheric world will also provide the foundation for a brand new online multiplayer experience.”
RED DEAD REDEMPTION 2
Coming Fall 2017#RDR2https://t.co/ZacUJ48wvE pic.twitter.com/lffZvn42pR— Rockstar Games (@RockstarGames) October 18, 2016
While there are no additional announcements at this time for Red Dead Redemption 2, the internet continues to wear its investigative hat. A reddead.online domain was discovered, and Twitter user Bill Wright ferreted out the registration information showing that it is owned by publisher Take-Two Interactive. A lookup on domain lookup site WhoIs shows redead.online was updated just after midnight ET on Tuesday, October 18.
A multiplayer component being included with Red Dead Redemption 2 should come as no surprise. The teaser art released yesterday, which was released to full art today, shows seven characters. Additionally, Grand Theft Auto V is one of the top-selling games of the last 10 years thanks in large part to GTA Online. The game has sold more than 65 million copies to date and is a consistent driver of digital revenue due to players spending real world cash on Shark Cards to quickly obtain in-game money. Take-Two reported $172.1 million in digital sales during its last fiscal quarter, via Seeking Alpha, with GTA 5 being a primary contributor.
It’s safe to say the runaway success of Grand Theft Auto 5 has helped Take-Two Interactive stay profitable. There’s every reason to expect both Rockstar Games and publisher Take-Two to replicate that success with Red Dead Online.
Fans should expect to see an open-world multiplayer world with the ability to customize their character, weapons, and more. If the same model is used, all game modes and content will be released free, with the Shark Cards micro-transaction paying for them. Now, the question is how will Rockstar evolve its online gameplay for a Wild West showdown.
Xbox One owners can take Red Dead Redemption for a spin while they wait for Rockstar Games to make an announcement. The Xbox 360 game was added to the current-gen console’s backward compatibility library of titles this past July, as previously reported by the Inquisitr.
Red Dead Redemption runs better than ever on the Xbox One. Framerate tests on the game show it holding a steady 30 frames per second (fps) on the console through the majority of tests. This includes areas where the performance tanked on the last-gen console. Issues with screen tearing were also fixes. The quality of the graphics remains the same, but the performance is improved. This makes for a great opportunity to catch up for those who haven’t played the game to get familiar with the franchise before the sequel releases next year.
The PlayStation 4 does not support the ability to play backward compatible titles. Sony has released remastered games for the console, but there has been no mention of Red Dead Redemption being brought forward by Take-Two Interactive or Sony.
[Featured Image by Rockstar Games]
