Strauss Zelnick hinted last night, during Take-Two‘s call for Q1 FY14 earnings results, that Red Dead Redemption 2 might actually happen, as the company strives to create “permanent franchises”.
Our goal is to try to create permanent franchises,” said Zelnick, “that’s the unique goal in the industry.
Our competitors do not see it that way. Our competitors’ view is that our franchise will have a certain life, and at the end of that life, you move onto the next thing, so you better make hay while the sun shines. Our view is to the contrary. The best franchises are permanent franchises.
Outside of our business you can look at James Bond, for example. And it’s been our goal not just to preserve and grow the Grand Theft Auto franchise, but also to build other franchises that we think can be permanent, whether that’s the Red Dead franchise or the Borderlands franchise or the BioShock franchise or others, Civilization, for example.
With Grand Theft Auto V coming out in September, it will surely take a while before Red Dead Redemption 2 (or whatever it will be called) can possibly be released. That said, it is likely that this time it will be the first Rockstar title developed exclusively for the next generation consoles (in the current generation, GTA IV happened first, then Red Dead Redemption and ultimately GTA V will “close” Rockstar’s effort).
How hyped are you for a new Red Dead Redemption? Personally I’m still a bit bitter for the absence of a PC version, but I might forget Rockstar if they choose to release GTA V on PC not too long after the PS3 and X360 debuts.
