Red Dead 2 Releasing 2014

As most fans know, Rockstar Games is a developer that likes to take their time. They, like a handful of studios, are not afraid to delay even the most highly anticipated titles, and will slowly tease projects for years if necessary (read: LA Noire).

That being said, Rockstar is still a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive, and are therefore beholden to a set of shareholders with a certain amount of expectation. And so, while Grand Theft Auto 5 did excellent, sales-wise, in 2014, the attention is slowly turning towards Rockstar's planned future and what they have in the works.

In that regard, the analyst firm Baird Equity Research (no relation to the Gears of War character) has made several predictions for Rockstar in 2014 and beyond. Since most of these predictions are based on fulfilling sales milestones for shareholders, however, and are not rooted in too much fact, they should be taken with a grain of salt.

Firts up, Baird expects Rockstar will release Grand Theft Auto 5 for the PC in 2014. At this point, this one seems like a no-brainer. There have been countless PC teases for GTA 5, and a handful of "inadvertent" retailer postings, to the point gamers likely won't be surprised when Rockstar makes the inevitable announcement. That isn't to say they don't want it, because as the GTA 5 PC petition shows, they certainly do. As far as next-gen releases for Grand Theft Auto 5, such a possibility is a little harder to predict, and so Baird avoided the subject entirely.

Intel Grand Theft Auto 5 PC Port

The company wasn't adverse to bold predictions, though. In fact, Baird suggests Rockstar will announce a new Red Dead Redemption title this year. Moreover, they believe it's entirely possible that Rockstar could release said Red Dead sequel this year.

“In fact, we have previously published that GTA-extensions are in the development pipeline, and likely needed for the company to hit FY targets. We also believe the next Red Dead game is in the works potentially for a 2014 launch.”

While a Red Dead sequel is almost a forgone conclusion — Red Dead Redemption was widely beloved by critics and gamers — it's hard to believe Rockstar would announce and release a follow-up within the same year. Or if they did, they would need to announce something very soon.

Historically, Rockstar titles have taken at a few years to fully "develop." By that we mean, Rockstar usually teases the title with a somewhat basic announcement and spends close to two years slowly revealing more and more about said game. Take Grand Theft Auto 5, for example: Rockstar first unveiled the game back in October of 2011, with an official trailer following in November; took a vow of silence before showing more in late mid-to-late 2012; and then finally released the game in September of last year. Clearly, Rockstar Games' promotion is not unlike their eventual releases: the journey is just as important as the destination.

The rumors surrounding a Red Dead Redemption 2 are there, that much is clear, but when Rockstar might announce the sequel isn't. At this point, we don't even know their timeline. Perhaps Bully 2 is next up, followed by Red Dead, with a GTA 5 PC release thrown somewhere in the middle.

Do you think Rockstar will announce and release a Red Dead sequel in 2014? What are your hopes for a Red Dead Redemption follow-up?

-

Source: VG 24/7