'Red Dead Redemption 2' release date, news: Rockstar to make a bold move with upcoming sequel

A promotional image for "Red Dead Redemption 2" Facebook/RockstarGames

The world of gaming is gearing towards an era of infinite possibilities. Most concepts revolve around a distant future or a post-apocalyptic world. Rockstar Games, however, differs to mainstream games with "Red Dead Redemption 2."

As far as the trailer is concerned, "Red Dead Redemption 2" is set in the past, depicting the wild west. It delves into origins and is said to be the prequel of the original game. While some players are excited about its release, others question how it would fare against other, more popular futuristic titles.

Some fans think this may be a step in the wrong direction, taking into account some of the theatrical flops in the box office, Neurogadget reports. At this rate, they doubt that the sequel could live up to its predecessor's reputation.

Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick thinks otherwise. In a report by GameSpot, Zelnick mentioned: "The conventional wisdom was of course that a western wouldn't work. We took a different point of view, which is that very occasionally westerns capture the imagination of the public. When we launched 'Red Dead,' it did. And those times were right for that. And I think the times are right for a big, sprawling, optimistic view of America again--and that's not meant to be cute."

There is already a living proof that going backward could sometimes mean big numbers. Take into account the case of "Battlefield 1," a first-person shooter game depicting World War I, which is declared the best-selling game according to NPD rankings. It was able to outperform some of the titles operating in either a current or futuristic setting, such as "Mafia III," "Gears of War 4," and "Titanfall 2," Game Informer has learned.

The "Red Dead Redemption 2" trailer has already gained more than 8 million views on YouTube, showing how much interest it has fanned from the gaming community. This could potentially illustrate the success it will attain once released.

No specific date has been set yet, although it is said that it will be launched in fall 2017.

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