Take-Two Interactive, the parent company of
Red Dead Redemption developer Rockstar Games,
reported "strong results" for its fiscal second quarter 2019 ended September 30, 2018. And while the company's strong catalog of games, which also includes numerous successful titles from 2K, all eyes are pretty much on the just-released
Red Dead Redemption 2.
As a follow-up to Rockstar's incredibly successful
Grand Theft Auto V, investors are hoping Take-Two can replicate the financials with Rockstar's latest open-world western. So far, it seems to be working out.
As previously reported,
Red Dead Redemption has already achieved the biggest opening weekend in the history of entertainment, with over $725 million in retail sell-through during its first three days. Additionally, it was revealed in today's financial report that over 17 million copies of the game have been "sold-in" worldwide. This figure represents the number of copies purchased by retailers but not necessarily sold to consumers.
This is important to note because Take-Two and investors are probably more interested in the number of copies sold to consumers since that means more revenue potential with
Red Dead Online, which will presumably have microtransactions in the same vein as GTA Online that can further boost revenue. Rockstar hasn't fully unveiled the multiplayer component, but
Red Dead Online is expected to launch at some point this month.
Even to this day,
Grand Theft Auto Online continues to be a big factor in driving Take-Two to deliver "better-than-expected operating results" on a quarterly basis.
The big question is, can Rockstar replicate the success in the wild west?
Red Dead Redemption 2 may have received glowing reviews and have sold incredibly, but will players be as invested in exploring the American frontier beyond the storyline? Does a western setting allow for as much creativity and freedom as, say, San Andreas? We'll find out soon enough!
America, 1899. The end of the wild west era has begun as lawmen hunt down the last remaining outlaw gangs. Those who will not surrender or succumb are killed. After a robbery goes badly wrong in the western town of Blackwater, Arthur Morgan and the Van der Linde gang are forced to flee. With federal agents and the best bounty hunters in the nation massing on their heels, the gang must rob, steal and fight their way across the rugged heartland of America in order to survive. As deepening internal divisions threaten to tear the gang apart, Arthur must make a choice between his own ideals and loyalty to the gang who raised him.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is available on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One right now.