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Better off... red?
Red Dead Redemption 2 has sold over 17 million copies worldwide [cnet.com]
There was a time when westerns were a staple of American pop-culture -- a powerhouse genre for film, television, books and more. That trend kind of died in the 1980s, but maybe it's coming back. Take-Two Interactive, the company that owns Rockstar games reported in its quarterly financials that Red Dead Redemption 2 sold over 17 million copies in just over a week [take2games.com].
It took the original Red Dead Redemption [gamespot.com] 8 years to sell 15 million copies.
It's a shockingly huge number -- but if you've been keeping track, it might not be that big of a surprise. Just after the game's launch, the company revealed that it made over $725 million in its first few days [cnet.com], the largest opening weekend of any entertainment property ever, according to Rockstar. That's what happens when your game is one of the most anticipated, well-reviewed games [cnet.com] in a decade.
Those aren't the only accolades Take-Two called out, either: Rockstar's Cowboy epic is apparently the most pre-ordered full game ever sold on PlayStation Network, as well as the biggest day-one sales of any digital PlayStation games.
That's a strong start for a western, to be sure, but it could just be the beginning. In addition to the base game, Rockstar is planning to launch Red Dead Online [rockstargames.com] -- a highly anticipated multiplayer expansion that takes place in Red Dead Redemption 2's open world.
News about that came out of Take-Two's financial report too, with CEO Strauss Zelnick (chairman of the board at CBS, CNET's parent company) saying the online beta would launch at some point near the end of November.
- Review • Red Dead Redemption 2 review: Somehow, it lives up to the hype [cnet.com]
- How To • Red Dead Redemption 2 has arrived: Here's how you should prepare [cnet.com]
- News • Red Dead Redemption 2 had the highest grossing opening weekend of any game ever [cnet.com]