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All Articles: Red Dead Redemption 2
Co-founder Dan Houser will leave Rockstar Games in March
Dan Houser co-founded Rockstar Games in 1998 alongside Terry Donovan, Jamie King, and his brother Sam. Currently serving as Vice President of their Creative division, he has lent his writing talents to almost all of the publisher’s most popular and well-received games, including the Grand Theft Auto franchise, Red Dead Redemption and Red Dead Redemption 2, Max Payne 3, and Bully.
But after an illustrious career, Rockstar’s parent company, Take-Two Interactive, has announced that Houser will be leaving the company in March.
This is definitely a huge blow to the creative side of Rockstar Games, which is widely believed to be hard at work on Grand Theft Auto VI. How this news will affect the sequel’s development remains to be seen, but Take-Two said the rest of the development team “remains focused on current and future projects”:
After an extended break beginning in the spring of 2019, Dan Houser, Vice President, Creative at Rockstar Games, will be leaving the company. Dan Houser’s last day will be March 11, 2020. We are extremely grateful for his contributions. Rockstar Games has built some of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful game worlds, a global community of passionate fans and an incredibly talented team, which remains focused on current and future projects.
While it’s a few years old now, the most extensive look back at Houser’s career can be found in David Kushner’s excellent behind-the-scenes investigation into Rockstar Games, Jacked: The Outlaw Story of Grand Theft Auto.
Posted in News, PC, PS2, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Grand Theft Auto V, Red Dead Redemption 2
Rockstar releases a Launch Trailer for Red Dead Redemption 2 ahead of its PC debut
Red Dead Redemption 2 will trot its way onto the PC beginning next week, and Rockstar Games is ready with a brand new Launch Trailer that showcases the “new graphical and technical enhancements” they’ve added to the game:
Watch the official Red Dead Redemption 2 PC Launch Trailer that showcases the all new graphical and technical enhancements on display in the PC version, as Arthur Morgan and the Van der Linde gang desperately try to outrun the law. After being hounded off the mainland, Arthur and the gang find themselves caught in a local conflict on the shores of a remote Caribbean island, disoriented and yearning to find a path back to their hidden fortune – and the dreams of a better future promised by their charming and increasingly erratic leader, Dutch van der Linde.
Red Dead Redemption 2 will be available to download on November 5 through the brand new Rockstar Games Launcher and from a variety of other digital storefronts, but Steam users will have to wait until December to play it.
Players who decide to pre-order Red Dead Redemption 2 through the Rockstar Games Launcher will receive in-game goodies for Story Mode (the War Horse, the Outlaw Survival Kit, and the Le Trésor des Morts Treasure Map) and Red Dead Online (50 Gold Bars), as well as a free bonus game from the company’s catalog.
Posted in News, PC
Tagged Red Dead Redemption 2
Red Dead Redemption 2 officially coming to PC and Google Stadia this November
Though it’s been available on consoles for more than ten years, the original Red Dead Redemption never managed to mosey its way onto the PC. However, the same cannot be said about the sequel, as Rockstar Games has announced that Red Dead Redemption 2 will be released for the PC on November 5.
According to Rockstar, the PC version of Red Dead Redemption 2 will feature a number of improvements over the PS4/Xbox One release, including “a range of graphical and technical enhancements for increased immersion,” as well as new Bounty Hunting Missions, Gang Hideouts, Weapons, and more.
Players who purchase Red Dead Redemption 2 through the new Rockstar Games Launcher will be given the opportunity to download a bonus game from the company’s catalog (including Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Bully: Scholarship Edition, L.A. Noire: The Complete Edition, and Max Payne 3: The Complete Edition) for free. However, the western epic will also be available through the Epic Games Store, Greenman Gaming, the Humble Store, and GameStop in November. A Steam release is planned for sometime in December.
Rockstar also revealed that Red Dead Redemption 2 will be available to download this Fall as a launch title for Google’s Stadia streaming service.
Posted in News, PC
Tagged Red Dead Redemption 2
Take-Two executives discuss big sales for GTA5 and Red Dead 2 while looking ahead to 2019 lineup
Take-Two Interactive delivered another celebratory quarterly financial report last night as the publisher’s latest releases have proven very popular with players.
Leading the charge is Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption 2. More than 24 million copies of the game have been shipped to stores since its launch last October. Take-Two executives also revealed that they’ve shipped more than nine million copies of NBA 2K19 in a similar timeframe.
But the most surprising reveal from yesterday’s report might be the news that Take-Two shipped more than ten million copies of Grand Theft Auto V during the quarter, bringing its lifetime total to 110 million copies after six years on the market.
While the company was happy with their retail performance in 2018, they’re also looking ahead to 2019 with gusto.
According to CEO Strauss Zelnick, 2K Games has already committed to launching NBA 2K20 and WWE 2K20 this Fall:
Also this Fall, 2K will launch new installments of our highly successful annual sports franchises with the releases of NBA 2K20 and WWE 2K20. As always, the development teams behind these games are hard at work to deliver our trademark array of exciting new features and innovations that keep players coming back year after year. 2K will have more to share about these titles in the coming months.
Zelnick later confirmed that Obsidian’s The Outer Worlds and Patrice Desilets’s Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey will be available for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One sometime this year through their Private Division label:
Developed by Obsidian Entertainment, the Outer Worlds marks the reunion of Tim Cain and Leonard Boyarsky, the original creators of Fallout, who are introducing an entirely new single player sci-fi RPG experience. The Outer Worlds will be showcased behind closed doors at E3 to select media and influencers, and more details about the game will be revealed over time. Last month, Private Division hosted press events for Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey, where attendees got to play the game and meet its creators at Panache Digital Games, including the studio’s co-founder, Patrice Desilets, who was the original creative director of Assassin’s Creed.
More information about Take-Two Interactive’s full lineup for 2019 (including the previously-announced Borderlands 3) will be announced at this year’s E3 Expo in June.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One
Tagged Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey, Borderlands 3, E3 2019, Grand Theft Auto V, NBA 2K19, NBA 2K20, Red Dead Redemption 2, The Outer Worlds
God of War receives ten nominations and leads the way at 2019 BAFTA Games Awards
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) has announced the nominees for this year’s BAFTA Game Awards and Sony Santa Monica’s God of War lead the way with ten nominations, including an unprecedented four nominations in the “Performer” category (one each for the actors behind Kratos, Atreus, Freya, and The Stranger). Boy!
Naturally, God of War is also in running for the “Best Game” Award, and it’ll be competing against Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey, Sony’s Astro Bot: Rescue Mission, Matt Makes Games’s Celeste, Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption 2, and Lucas Pope’s Return of the Obra Dinn
The BAFTA Game Awards will be held at Queen Elizabeth Hall in London on April 4, and the ceremony will once again be hosted by comedian Dara O’Briain. Fans across the globe are encouraged to tune in to a livestream of the ceremony at BAFTA.org.
The complete list of nominees in all categories can be found after the break. (more…)
Kingdom Hearts III, Resident Evil 2, New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe unsurprisingly lead NPD’s list of best-selling games from January 2019
Kingdom Hearts fans were kept waiting more than a decade for the third game in the franchise, but Square Enix finally rewarded their patience with the launch of Kingdom Hearts III last month. As you might have guessed, fans purchased the game in droves, pushing it all the way to the top of The NPD Group’s list of best-selling games from January 2019.
Two highly-anticipated re-releases, Resident Evil 2 (#2) and New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe (#3) were close behind, and Bandai Namco’s Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown (#7) and Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition (#12) also cracked the top 20.
However, while several games had strong starts on the sales chart, the industry overall suffered a decline last month versus January 2018. All together, GamesIndustry.biz is reporting that total sales (hardware, software, and accessories) were down 19% to $893 million.
You can find a full list of best-selling games from January 2019 after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, PC, PS3, PS4, Switch, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown, Assassin's Creed: Odyssey, Battlefield V, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, FIFA 19, Grand Theft Auto V, Kingdom Hearts III, Madden NFL 19, Mario Kart 8, Minecraft, NBA 2K19, NPD, Red Dead Redemption 2, Resident Evil 2, Spider-Man, Super Mario Odyssey, Super Mario Party, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Tales of Vesperia, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Celeste, God of War, Spider-Man, Red Dead 2, Smash Ultimate will compete for “Video Game of the Year” at 2019 SXSW Gaming Awards
The SXSW Gaming Advisory Board has sifted through all of 2018’s biggest games and announced the nominees for this year’s SXSW Gaming Awards.
As you might have expected, Sony Santa Monica’s God of War, Insomniac’s Spider-Man, and Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption 2 claimed the most nominations. Each of the three games will compete in a total of nine categories, and all three are in the running for “Video Game of the Year.” Matt Thorson’s brutal platformer, Celeste, and Nintendo’s crossover fighter, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, were also nominated for the big prize.
The public will get the chance to vote for the winners in all categories at this year’s SXSW Gaming Awards, and the final winner in each category will be determined by a weighted total between public and advisory board votes. Voting is open now at SXSW Gaming’s official website, and will close on Sunday, February 17 at midnight (Eastern Time).
The SXSW Gaming Awards will be given out on March 16 and you can find the full list of nominees in all categories after the break. (more…)
Posted in Mobile, News, PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One
Tagged Celeste, Detroit: Become Human, Fortnite, God of War 4, No Man's Sky, Octopath Traveler, Red Dead Redemption 2, Spider-Man, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Tabletop Games, Tetris Effect
Red Dead Redemption 2 cowboys up as the best-selling game of 2018
A wise man once said, “When you have to shoot, shoot. Don’t talk.” And that’s exactly what Rockstar Games did with Red Dead Redemption 2.
The publisher’s western epic has been nine years in the making, and it blew away all expectations (and chased every other big release away from its October 26 launch date) as the best-selling game in November. Now, The NPD Group has revealed that it’s also the best-selling game for all of 2018.
Activision’s mighty Call of Duty franchise claimed the #2 spot with Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, and many of the other usual suspects can be found throughout the top ten including NBA 2K19 (#3), Madden NFL 19 (#4), Far Cry 5 (#7), and Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey (#10).
It was also a good year all around for single-player games as Spider-Man (#6) and God of War both cracked the top ten. Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros. Ultimate was also able to break into the top five (at #5) after only being on sale for a few weeks. Finally, the surprising success of Capcom’s Monster Hunter: World helped the latest entry in the franchise come in at #9.
Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, the NPD Group said that the entire game industry generated $16.7 billion in sales in 2018, a 13% increase over 2017. That includes a 33% increase for accessories, as a 7% increase for software, and 8% for hardware. On that note, the Nintendo Switch was the best-selling console of 2018.
The NPD’s Top 10 best-selling games for 2018 (in handy list format) can be found after the break. (more…)