Red Dead Redemption 2 will be released on Xbox One, PS4 and PC in the fourth quarter of 2016 and gamers will have the chance to view the upcoming game at this year’s E3, according to a new rumor going around. This rumor comes right after Red Dead Redemption was temporarily playable on Xbox One via backwards compatibility. The ability to do that has since been removed, but clearly it’s on it’s way soon.
“I pretty much know the ones that I can assure you are permanent. It’s obvious that GTA is a permanent franchise as long as we keep delivering this incredible quality; it seems quite obvious that ‘Red Dead’ is a permanent franchise, again with the same caveat, or Borderlands, for example, and NBA and others,” Take Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick said in a 2014 interview.
Zelnick was also asked why the the game is not annualized. The CEO explained that non-sport titles are best served not on an annual basis because it creates higher demand and anticipation from gamers. It’s extremely refreshing to hear that from a high-level game executive and gives me hope that Rockstar’s various studious will continue to produce quality games like the GTA franchise.
There are also a few details on the setting of the new game included in this rumor: many fans had speculated that the franchise would move to Japan in the EDO period when much of Japan was rapidly modernizing and guns were becoming common. However this would move the game from it roots as a Western and many fans have expressed discontent with that setting. Personally I hope we see a return to the frontier of the US. Other rumored locations include more states in the U.S., including Utah, Arizona, Denver, New Mexico, Texas, Mexico, South Dakota and Louisiana. Whatever ends up happening, I hope we get to see a first look at the game at E3. Be sure to stay tuned as yours truly will indeed be at E3 reporting from the floor!