It's been seven years since "Red Dead Redemption" arrived in PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, and for many fans of the game, it's about time that a sequel arrived. A sequel was indeed scheduled for the latter part of 2017, but in May, Rockstar Games officially announced their decision to delay "Red Dead Redemption 2" for a 2018 second quarter release instead.
Polygon reported back in May that as per Rockstar Games, they are creating the upcoming game "from the ground up for the latest generation of console hardware, and some extra time is necessary to ensure that we can deliver the best experience possible for our fans." The game is now expected to arrive during the company's next fiscal year, which launches on April 1, 2018.
The delay of the upcoming game serves as a benefit for other publishers.
Ubisoft sees the delay as a 'positive'
Just last week, Ubisoft's CFO Alain Martinez was at the shareholders' financial briefing when he commented on the news about the "Red Dead Redemption 2" delay. According to GamingBolt, Martinez said that the delay "is a positive for our fiscal year 2018...the absence of that game is, of course, giving us a better window for the launch of some of our games."
Those other games Martinez is referring to are "Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle," "For Honor" season 3, and the latest Hong Kong expansion for "Rainbow Six Siege." But Ubisoft isn't the only studio/publisher to comment on the delay.
EA speaks up about the game's delay
EA seems to be backing up Ubisoft's beliefs about the game's delay, as EA CFO Blake Jorgensen told SeekingAlpha (via Gamespot) that the delay is in fact "a little bit of opportunity" for EA. He admitted that they've been daunted by some yearly quarters "because of the competition."
But it's not that EA is relieved that the upcoming Rockstar Games offering has been moved to next year.
Jorgensen explained that originally, there wasn't supposed to be a "Red Dead Redemption 2" release in the third or fourth quarter of the year, so "I don't think it bothers us, but it excites us."
Xbox One already packaging deals with upcoming game
Despite the delay of "Red Dead Redemption 2," Microsoft is already packaging it with the Xbox One S.
According to DVS Gaming, players can get a free copy of the upcoming game if they purchase a new Xbox One S 1TB console. It's yet unclear how the game will arrive to players, as it is currently delayed, but watch this page for more info once Rockstar Games speaks up. In the meantime, check out the trailer below.
