Red Dead Redemption 2players are still coping with the sudden announcement that Rockstar iswinding downRed Dead Online’s development, shifting resources to the nextGrand Theft Autogame. It was always an inevitable conclusion givenRed Dead Redemption 2’s relative demure popularity next toGrand Theft Auto, but the news stung nonetheless. Unfortunately, there’s more disappointing news to share, as one Rockstar insider is reporting thatRed Dead Redemption 2’s long-awaited PS5 and Xbox Series X/S ports have been put on ice.
Rockstar reporter Tez2 recently shared that he’d heard that PS5 and Xbox Series X/S ports ofRed Dead Redemption 2are no longer coming. Further, he says that the ports were in development, but have now been canceled/halted. Tez2 doesn’t provide any further information about theRed Dead Redemption 2ports, so it’s unclear if they were canceled due to shifting resources towardGrand Theft Autoor if something else was at issue.
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To be clear, Rockstar has never officially announced that it was working onPS5 or Xbox Series X/S ports ofRed Dead Redemption 2. It was only assumed by fans, given that Rockstar was routinely late with ports to new platforms of its games.Red Dead Redemption 2is a very popular game, after all, even if it isn’t as big asGrand Theft Auto. It makes perfect sense to port it to next-gen platforms. Rockstar may no longer agree, however.
Perhaps the issue is thatRed Dead Redemption 2’s PC port didn’t perform as well as Rockstar hoped, or perhapsRed Dead Online’s player base has shrunk significantly over the past year or two. Another explanation would be thatGrand Theft Auto 6’s developmentisn’t progressing as smoothly as Rockstar wants, thus demanding more resources. Odds are it isn’t just a matter of Rockstar not wanting to do it.
The veracity of Tez2’sRed Dead Redemption 2claimis questionable, however, to say the least. Just four days ago, Tez2 replied to someone on Twitter asking if PS5 and Xbox Series X/S ports ofRed Dead Redemption 2were still in development. One would think they’d have provided the same answers, but that’s not the case. Tez2 said at the time that “aRDR2update for PS5 & XSX is planned at some point down the road.” In other words, Tez2 appears to have contradicted himself just days ago.
It’s certainly possible, and eminently believable, that Rockstar has canceled all plans forRed Dead Redemption 2to be ported to PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. It’s also possible that Rockstar never seriously planned to deliver the ports in the first place. In the end, all that matters isRed Dead Redemption 2playersare in the same position they were before, lowering their expectations of Rockstar as has become routine.
Red Dead Redemption 2is available now on PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.
