Fans around the world were disappointed when Rockstar Games' highly-anticipated Red Dead Redemption 2 was delayed to 2018, but for the studio's fellow industry competitors, the decision was positively greeted by almost all parties, the most recent one being Electronic Arts.

During a recent financial earnings call for EA, CFO Blake Jorgensen admits that Rockstar's decision to delay Red Dead Redemption 2 to 2018 has now provided "a little bit of opportunity" for the company and other players in the industry. While the highly-anticipated western title's delay will undoubtedly give the spotlight to other titles being released in the second half of 2017, Jorgensen says that Rockstar's decision doesn't have much impact on what EA does, given that the company has always competed against the biggest titles.

"So I don't think it bothers us, but it excites us, I'd say instead. And you might remember, no [Red Dead Redemption 2] that was originally in the plans for our third quarter, fourth quarter of the calendar year, so that does open up a little bit of opportunity, I think, for everybody."

Ubisoft Happy About Red Dead Redemption 2's Delay

Unsurprisingly, EA wasn't the only company who had something to say about Red Dead Redemption 2's delay. Just last week, Ubisoft CFO Alain Martinez freely admitted that the delay could only mean good things for the publisher's remaining 2017 games, such as the upcoming Assassin's Creed Origins, which is expected to be a return-to-form for the franchise.

While 2017 may now look rosier for EA, the company's 2018 will be a different story. EA CEO Andrew Wilson just announced that there are plans to release a new Battlefield game in 2018, meaning that there's no avoiding Red Dead Redemption 2. But given how successful the latest Battlefield title, Battlefield 1, was critically and commercially, there's no reason to believe that EA won't be able to hold its own against Rockstar next year.

2017 may now be a more level playing field given Red Dead Redemption 2's delay, but 2018 will be an entirely different prospect for Rockstar's competitors, especially given most parties are predicting that Red Dead Redemption 2 will sell extremely well regardless of when it is released.

Red Dead Redemption 2 is scheduled for launch in Spring 2018 on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.