Anyone still holding out for Red Dead Redemption 3 finally has something meaningful to chew on, courtesy of Rockstar’s parent company. It isn’t an announcement, but as hints go, it’s a strong one.
According to Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick, emerging technology could cut down the time it takes to build the studio’s games. Should that prove true, the decade-plus waits between Rockstar’s flagship titles could become a thing of the past.
What Zelnick said
Speaking in a recent interview, Zelnick rejected the notion that lengthy development cycles are a sign the studio is in no hurry.
“I wouldn’t confuse long development cycles with a lackadaisical approach to development cycles. Everything we do is in the context of milestones, budgets, and delivery dates,” Zelnick said.
He followed that with a remark Red Dead fans will want to hang on the wall. “Certain titles are so complex and so challenging to build, they take a long time… It is possible that recent developments in technology will allow us to compress some development timelines without compromising quality, and we hope to do that.”
Pay attention to the phrasing: “It is possible.” “We hope.” There’s no date attached, no confirmation that Red Dead Redemption 3 is even in the works, and no one at Take-Two has actually uttered the word “Red.” Still, it’s the strongest indication yet that Rockstar’s project after its upcoming release won’t require 13 years to arrive.
GTA VI has taken every bit of the oxygen
Much of this comes down to timing. Grand Theft Auto VI is set to launch in just over a month following well over a decade of anticipation, making it the most hotly awaited video game ever. Rockstar went all-in on that project, leaving the Red Dead franchise in the dust.
That’s a tough spot for a series whose most recent installment is broadly regarded as one of the greatest video games ever made. Red Dead Redemption 2 hasn’t even hit its tenth birthday, yet players are already growing impatient. Given that Red Dead Revolver and Red Dead Redemption round out the rest of the lineup, a third Redemption entry hardly seems far-fetched.
So is Red Dead next?
After GTA VI is out the door, it’s reasonable to imagine Rockstar turning its focus back toward the frontier. Nothing Zelnick said confirms that. But if the project does enter production, his remarks imply the wait to play it would be shorter.
(Rockstar’s timing is also rather clever here. Players are about to vanish into Vice City for months on end, giving the studio a long stretch of peace before anyone starts asking about horses again.)
There are plenty of directions the narrative could take. A prequel might explore the early days of Dutch and Hosea. A sequel could follow Jack Marston in the aftermath of his revenge. A third game feels like a matter of when, not if, and the options are wide open.
At this point, all that’s officially on the record is a CEO stating that quicker development is possible and that “we hope to do that.” Red Dead fans have survived on far less.