Don't go a-hootin' and a-hollerin' just yet, but it seems that Rockstar's epic western Red Dead Redemption may not be a one-off after all. The dustbowl sandbox classic came out in 2010, and apart from the Undead Nightmare zombie expansion there's been no movement on a sequel despite critical acclaim and blockbuster sales.
Fans could be forgiven for thinking the series was over and done, but Strauss Zelnick, CEO of Rockstar's publisher, Take-Two, has offered a shining ray of hope. While discussing the company's approach to franchise development, which involves launching new series and letting sequels arrive when they're ready rather than producing new follow-ups every year, he included Red Dead in a list of games that he sees as "permanent franchises".
"Not everything is going to be a permanent franchise," he explained. "Some of our great franchises eventually will lose their lustre and some will hopefully be permanent. I pretty much know the ones that I can assure you are permanent. Its 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."
That seems like a pretty clear indication that Take-Two plans to at least try and develop a new Red Dead game worthy of the series. Don't forget Redemption was itself a sequel to Red Dead Revolver, a discarded Capcom shooter that Rockstar rescued and released in 2004. Will we hear jangling spurs at E3? Let's keep our fingers crossed.
Published: 30/05/2014
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