Red Dead Redemption 2 Battle Royale A Possibility, Won’t Be A Fortnite Clone
Battle Royale is hands-down the hottest gaming genre (or mode) right now, there’s no doubt about that. The fact that celebrities and professional athletes unabashedly showing their love for Fortnite, and streamers gaining renown for their reputation on the game itself is a feat in the gaming industry. It’s also no surprise that other developers are jumping on board to create their own version of battle royale for their player base to enjoy, and that may include the upcoming Red Dead Redemption 2.
There’s no reason not to join in on the battle royale craze when there’s a demand for it. It’s all a matter of supply and demand, but it’s certainly not their first rodeo with this particular mode. According to an interview with Game Daily, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick if the studios decide to move forward with the plan, it won’t be a clone of Fortnite.
We’ve used battle royale mechanics before. I wouldn’t rule it out, but any mechanic you use would want to be in service of the core entertainment experience, and would be consumer-focused. It wouldn’t be driven by revenue focus in our view. And if one is overly derivative of another’s success, you pretty much guarantee you’re not going to have your own success, because no one is looking for a clone of Fortnite. I wish we had Fortnite — we don’t — so wishing we had Fortnite is not going to help me.
Though there’s no confirmation on its appearance in Red Dead Redemption 2, Zelnick continued by saying:
That doesn’t mean you wouldn’t use a mechanic that’s in other games… We’re certainly not averse to using something created by someone else in service of a good experience in our own games. So there are moments when you might choose to be derivative for some small portion of a game, but I think there’s a lot of emphasis on questions that have been posed more pointedly by some which is, ‘Hey, look at Fortnite, shouldn’t everything you do be some example of Fortnite?’ The answer is absolutely not. If we turned an upcoming release into a sad, diluted version of Fortnite, I can assure you it would fail, in addition to being embarrassing [for the brand].”
Zelnick mentioned their interest lies in providing “captivating and engaging customers with the best entertainment” and not just revenue. If it turns out that inserting a battle royale mode in Red Dead Redemption 2 will keep the community pleased, then Rockstar will do so. Naturally, if it’s a hit then the influx of money will follow. With that being said, the company CEO doesn’t believe battle royale will be the only trend in coming years. It’s a hot craze right now, but there’s bound to be bigger and better ideas to follow.
“You can’t possibly believe that battle royale is the only mechanic that has captured people’s attention that interact with entertainment,” Zelnick mentioned. “So if you’re busy cloning it, you’re going to get to market in three years. Good luck to you. You don’t think there will be another hit in between now and then? Because I do. Do I think that it’s a hit that will be a clone of Fortnite? I do not.”
What do you think of the current gaming trend with the battle royale genre? Will fizzle out soon, or will it become an industry mainstay? Let us know what you think in the comments section below or start a conversation on DFTG Facebook page. To stay up to date on gaming news as it happens, follow us on Twitter! Here’s some of our latest:
Hoi Duong2131 Posts
Hoi is an elusive figure at DFTG, whose favorite past-times include chillin' in the Fade, reading manga, watching anime, collecting novelty items, and gaming.
