'Red Dead Redemption 2' delay provides opportunity for everybody, says EA, Ubisoft executives

Promotional photo of Rockstar Games' "Red Dead Redemption 2."Rockstar Games website

The delay of Rockstar Games' "Red Dead Redemption 2" has been a huge disappointment for its eager fans, who will have to wait until 2018 before being able to play the game. However, video game giants Electronic Arts (EA) and Ubisoft see the delay as an opportunity for everybody.

Speaking at a recent earnings call, EA Chief Financial Officer Blake Jorgensen said the postponement of the highly anticipated game "does open up a little bit of opportunity, I think, for everybody."

Ubisoft CFO Alain Martinez also commented on the subject earlier this year. "Clearly the fact that there is no Red Dead Redemption [2] is a positive for our fiscal year 2018," he said according to a report from GameSpot.

"So the absence of that game is of course giving us a better window for the launch of some of our games," he added.

However, the EA chief said that they do not shy away from the competition and pointed out that big games help everyone in the industry. He said that they have historically found that the release of giant games like "Grand Theft Auto V," another title published by Rockstar Games, helps grow the overall market and drive console sales. He also pointed out that these games help drive excitement in the marketplace.

"So I don't think it bothers us, but it excites us, I'd say instead," Jorgensen said.

"Red Dead Redemption" is an open world, western action video game set across the vast American heartland. It is the third title in the successful "Red Dead" franchise and was originally scheduled to be released during the second half of this year, but it has been postponed to the second quarter of 2018.

In its website, publisher Rockstar Games said that "some extra time is necessary to ensure that we can deliver the best experience possible for our fans."