Red Dead Redemption 2 Will “Shatter Expectations,” Says Take-Two CEO
Chief Executive Officer of Take-Two Interactive Strauss Zelnick and President Karl Slatoff talked to investors recently about Red Dead Redemption 2 and what folks can expect from the newest entry in the epic western series. Zelnick first started with how they’ll stand out in a stacked holiday season alongside titles like Black Ops 4 and Fallout 76.
They are “always worried about the competition and never take anything for granted, never claim success early,” said Zelnick. “We do our best to create phenomenal entertainment and market it effectively, and then we explain what happened. We have enormously high expectations for October with the launch of Red Dead Redemption 2. We take the competition seriously and we’re really exited about the release.”
“I would just note, you don’t need to look back too many years when Holiday seasons were just inundated,” he continued. “People basically released products in the Holiday season and this company performed well. So it all comes down to quality.”
He went on to talk about cross-promotional opportunities with Grand Theft Auto Online. “Rockstar Games has employed some creative techniques in cross-promotion. I think they’re pretty exciting. Social Club has an awful lot of members and they’re avid fans not just of Grand Theft Auto, not just of Red Dead Redemption, but also fans of Rockstar Games. I think it’s great that there is some cross-promotion going on.”
Zelnick was sure to make note about their pride in GTA Online’s success but affirmed that they are not taking it for granted. “The nature of our approach and specifically the nature of Rockstar Games’ approach is never to be derivative and always to shatter expectations,” he said. “My belief is that Red Dead Redemption 2 will shatter expectations and that the online experience also will be extraordinary, but unexpected.”
“My view is that by their very nature hits are unexpected,” he continued. “That’s the goal. There is an expectation around the table. Of course, there is an expectation of Rockstar Games and there is an expectation on part of consumers, but our job is to exceed those expectations, and fingers crossed, that’s what we’re all setting out to do. We couldn’t predict and we didn’t presume to in regards to Grand Theft Auto V, and we wouldn’t presume to with Red Read Redemption 2. So we’re just hard at work, doing the very best job that we can.”
Red Dead Redemption 2 will release on PS4 and Xbox One on October 26th and will come later to PC. Are you excited for Red Dead Redemption 2? Follow us on Twitter for any updates regarding news and check out these other stories from Don’t Feed The Gamers:
Colin Regan239 Posts
Colin is a freelance writer for DFTG with previous bylines at other media outlets such as Twinfinite.
