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Why does everyone assume Read Dead Redemption 2 is a guaranteed to have massive sales?
- Thread starter ToddBonzalez
- Start date
My first google search shows Bioshock Infinite sold over 4 million copies after its first year and 11 million copies by 2015 so....?
I honestly think that there isn't as much discussion surrounding it because people don't wanna spoil anything for themselves. I personally have been on a complete media and message board blackout with anything that has to do with RDR2. I think it's gonna be just fine.
Oh what will you do with us plebes and our pesky numbers n stuff.
So if RDR2 sells under 20 mil copies will everyone on this train act as if that wasn't below their expectations?
What question are we answering here? Massive sales =/= sales expectations and sales forecasts? Who's judging what here based on what actual information? In the case of infinite we have a blurb that "lower than expected sales" was a factor in Ken Levine downsizing irrational and moving away from AAA game design. What were the expected sales? 15 million? So if the game sold 11 million instead if 15 million, then 11 million is all the sudden not "massive sales" and whatever imaginary target we construct for RDR2, if the game doesn't hit that imaginary target because there's a blurb that sales were lower than expect, then it wasn't a massive hit? What if R* projects 30 million in the 1st year and it hits 27 million, thats lower than expected and we get to pretend that 27 million isn't "massive sales"? They aren't the same conversation.
under 20 million, like 19 million, is still "massive sales". There's really no scenario under which this game isn't going to move a TON of units.
OP
OP
I guess I don't. If you surveyed random people off the street, I'd guess 9 people out of 10 at least would be familiar with Grand Theft Auto (at least aware that it's a thing, even if they haven't played it). I'd guess the number of people who'd say they're familiar with Rockstar Games is far, far lower. I'd even wager that a percentage of those who have have played GTA V (or Red Dead Redemption 1) couldn't tell you who Rockstar Games is. Do you really think the brand of any developer in the world is strong enough to move units for a mainstream audience?? The non-enthusiast buys games due to some combination of the following factors- marketing, recognition of the IP, word of mouth. I don't think the average casual gamer knows or cares about developer pedigree, no matter who the dev is.
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Yeah. Rockstar is that strong.
Every one of those people you surveyed would recognize the R* logo.
there are also way less Red Dead installments than there are GTA installments, and each time one has outdone the predecessor.
It's absolutely not going to do GTAV numbers, but GTAV is also the highest earning entertainment product of all time. It's also difficult to predict sales for this game based on the sales of the first Red Dead Redemption or even pre-GTAV Rockstar games, because this is Rockstar's first release since the highest earning entertainment product of all time.
Because Rockstar games sell. They could market this game as a game created by the creators of GTA and that would sell it alone, but the fact that it's already a sequel to a well received game from them already means it'll sell that much more. Plus they spent, I think, 8 years on this game with the multiple teams on it working on what most previews make sound like a new kind of open world game that's truly reactionary to the player.
What will really push sales later will be Read Dead Online though, and that's not to say the singleplayer game won't be a massive success financially.
The only Rockstar game it's probably not guaranteed to outsell (and for good reason given how much that game has sold) is GTAV. I think RDR2 will probably sell more than any other Rockstar game not called GTAV though. If RDR2 somehow manages to reach GTAV's levels then I don't know what to say.
What will really push sales later will be Read Dead Online though, and that's not to say the singleplayer game won't be a massive success financially.
The only Rockstar game it's probably not guaranteed to outsell (and for good reason given how much that game has sold) is GTAV. I think RDR2 will probably sell more than any other Rockstar game not called GTAV though. If RDR2 somehow manages to reach GTAV's levels then I don't know what to say.
Well, the R* name is well known and among gamers the hype is massive.
Its not often that you have a dev company release a game once every 8 years in a line of games that are massively successful. Think if COD released once every 8 years.
Comes to think of it, we've had 6 call of duties since the last R* game lol.
Its not often that you have a dev company release a game once every 8 years in a line of games that are massively successful. Think if COD released once every 8 years.
Comes to think of it, we've had 6 call of duties since the last R* game lol.
Can't spit in Los Angeles without hitting a bus stop ad for the game. Marketing dollars tend to translate directly into sales, even if it's not a linear relationship.
The game will undoubtedly do very well. First game was a smash hit and critical darling, the game's engagement metrics are up or ahead of the pack with the biggest games this gen, it's been highly anticipated, open-world games do well in general, and T2's marketing for a R* game is top-notch.
The big question is whether or not it can do "super duper extremely ridiculously" well, aka in the GTA levels of 'it just can't stop selling for 1/2/3/4/5 years."
Achieving evergreen-status is hard for any game.
The big question is whether or not it can do "super duper extremely ridiculously" well, aka in the GTA levels of 'it just can't stop selling for 1/2/3/4/5 years."
Achieving evergreen-status is hard for any game.
When is the cut-off? Because 20m lifetime is probably a pretty safe bet (I think around 30m is where it settles), 20m in 2 months is less so. Also will those on the other train act like it bombed if it sells 15m or whatever by next year?
Does the gta online loading screen have a red dead redemption 2 ad? That'd be such an easy way to get people playing gta to see a red dead ad
I think the game will sell a ton, everyone got the hell out of red dead's release date lol
I think the game will sell a ton, everyone got the hell out of red dead's release date lol
No there is no other train, I just see so many posts comparing it to this or that, bringing it up when it isn't remotely relevant, or citing other releases in October/November as doomed.
GTA V was like 250M. RDR2 could be way above that, like 300-400M if not more.
For what it's worth, I'm with you on this OP. People definitely know what GTA is, but Rockstar as an entity and Red Dead as an IP much less so. I think word of mouth is what is going to get this games' sales into the ten's of millions. (It'll sell well enough just with the gaming crowd of course.)
Jesus Christ. We're far from the days of small teams of 2-5 people putting out games on floppies. That's an insane budget.
After GTA V all studios joined R* San Diego on RDR2. That is 1000+ people in the end.
Eventually? By the time it reaches PC it will at least sell 50m copies.
You're wrong here. Just straight up and down wrong. I'm not saying this in an aggressive, condescending manner either, it's just that you're so wrong about the reach RDR has that it's baffling.
Back in the day when RDR was originally released there was a song on my local rap station that had a line that referenced Red Dead Redemption by name. The people that R* are targeting to buy this game know this game exists. EVERYONE knows this game exists.
But I guess we can just wait n see in a few weeks when it breaks records all over.
No one that is even casually invested in video games and owns a XB1 or PS4 isn't aware of this game. Rockstar's name alone carries that kind of weight.
Kevin Harlan reciting the game is coming soon during a NBA game on TNT was probably worth 10 pre-release trailers. Game will be massive. I don't know if it will top Black Ops 4 in the calendar year but once Online gets going it'll be one of the best selling of the gen easily.
Kevin Harlan reciting the game is coming soon during a NBA game on TNT was probably worth 10 pre-release trailers. Game will be massive. I don't know if it will top Black Ops 4 in the calendar year but once Online gets going it'll be one of the best selling of the gen easily.
It's a sequel to a very successful game, made by a by-and-large worshiped developer, and it will have an insane marketing campaign.
Marketing campaigns aren't just about ads, it's about all the context. Pretty much each and every review site on Earth will issue an RDR2 review, and I can guarantee that unless the game is a diaster, most of them will be overwhelmingly positive.
Of course, the exact numbers remain to be seen. 10mil? 50mil? I doubt anyone (except maybe R*) can predict that. But the game will be a massive hit, there's zero doubt about that.
Marketing campaigns aren't just about ads, it's about all the context. Pretty much each and every review site on Earth will issue an RDR2 review, and I can guarantee that unless the game is a diaster, most of them will be overwhelmingly positive.
Of course, the exact numbers remain to be seen. 10mil? 50mil? I doubt anyone (except maybe R*) can predict that. But the game will be a massive hit, there's zero doubt about that.
Maybe not lifetime, but it would be interesting to see first week sales
because it's an open world game from rockstar, that's why.
I mean, the first red dead did good sales despite being a boring, mechanically broken game, so there's no way this will not be another success..especially if this time they actually make a really good game.
I mean, the first red dead did good sales despite being a boring, mechanically broken game, so there's no way this will not be another success..especially if this time they actually make a really good game.
Sorry, I know you've been quoted loads. I get what you're saying, but I'm not sure the comparison really holds up.
R*'s mainstream penetration is orders of magnitude beyond the Bioshock brand and - correct me if I'm wrong here - they're following up the fastest selling entertainment product of all-time; a user base that they've actively been marketing to for two years.
GTAV sold 80 million copies as of last year, as of https://www.polygon.com/2017/5/23/15680482/grand-theft-auto-5-sales-80-million
That had several re-releases though.
GTA5 did something like 11.2m copies day 1, RDR2 likely isn't doing that week 1, nevermind day 1. People shouldn't expect it to compare with GTA5, it's an entirely different beast.
Cowboys don't have the wide appeal that a modern urban setting does. Now, that said, great games have a huge appeal. And there will be something of a Rockstar effect. But one of the things that I'm most skeptical of is the idea that most GTA fans are automatically going to be Red Dead fans.
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Homie, I'm sighing because I've addressed and answered this line of reasoning numerous times throughout this thread. Feel free to read those.