Rockstar Games is the studio responsible for developing two highly successful games, Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption.
The former is awaiting the release of its sixth version, GTA 6 while the latter’s RDR2 was released in 2018. The question among industry observers is how the development work on one franchise will impact the work on the other. How much of an impact will the current work carried out byRockstar Games on GTA 6 affect the work on Red Dead Redemption?
Also Read: Red Dead Redemption 2: An Unsolved Mystery in the Game – the Third Meteorite
Avoiding ‘Crunch’: One Crucial Factor
A recent report that was released after a detailed study of the internal working style in Rockstar had revealed a few facts. One of the important aspects was the ‘crunch’ style of working in the studio. There are periods where all the development teams are put through a stressed work environment in order to meet release deadlines. The studio is said to have taken a decision to reduce if not do away with this style of working. The immediate result expected out of this is that the game GTA 6 may be released in a small size with content added later as DLCs.
It is not clear as yet if this would slow down the release of GTA 6. The larger question is if work on GTA 6 itself is being slowed, then how does it impact the work going on at Rockstar related to the Red Dead Redemption team? There is no clarity on this.
The Larger Picture is of Diversity Between the Games
If you have played GTA as well as RDD, you will know that the two games have very little in common though both have been the largest selling video games in their own right. The Grand Theft Auto game has allowed the developers a much wider scope for expanding the game beyond the original script. The evolution of GTA Online and the casino inside it have kept the interest in the game alive and growing. In the Red Dead Redemption 2 game or its online version, the scope for such expansion is limited.
Also Read: Red Dead Redemption 2 – The Unresolved Mystery of the Old Town Limpany
The other important factor is the possible feedback the developing studio will receive as and when GTA 6 is out for play. It is not sure when this will happen, but the general sense is it may happen by early 2021. The expectation now is if the reception for GTA 6 is not very impressive, then the development work on Red Dead Redemption’s next version may be boosted. These are speculative in nature since it is not necessary that GTA 6 should face any difficulty with the gaming community.
The wider conclusion is that the fate of the Red Dead Redemption is fully linked to the fate of GTA 6.