Rockstar, the shepherds of the Grand Theft Auto series, have developed a rocky relationship with their once deeply loyal fanbase. Whether it’s their recent discovery and warm adoption of microtransactions—sorry, “recurrent consumer spending”—or their choice to abandon single-player DLC plans for Grand Theft Auto V (as a direct result of that discovery), the publisher that could do no wrong has suddenly found themselves under scrutiny from fans. Unfortunately, trust has eroded even more over the past few months, due to a string of delays for the follow-up to what is potentially their finest game ever: Red Dead Redemption.
Red Dead Redemption 2 was originally announced in 2016 and promised fall 2017 release date. Fans were overjoyed, until May of last year, when Rockstar delayed the game until spring 2018. This morning, the news didn’t get any better. Citing the need for “a little extra time for polish,” the developer revealed that the game will not be coming as soon as players believed. There will be one more delay, but at least there is a set release date now: October 26, 2018.
To be sure, this is far from the first time Rockstar has had to delay a game multiple times. In fact it’s the rule, rather than the exception, for the developer. However, the dubious practices recently espoused by the company—and not a single word about a PC port for the title—have players a little more nervous than usual about Red Dead Redemption 2. If it’s anything like its predecessor, it will still be a top-tier gaming experience, with an affecting story, rich open world, and jaw-droppingly beautiful sights. However, if Rockstar and 2K are too busy trying to strike another GTA Online-esque gold mine instead of working on DLC like the original Redemption’s “Undead Nightmare,” many will be left wondering about what might have been.
The announcement can be found here, as well as a selection of new screenshots.