People are familiar with the major video game corporations – Activision, EA, Nintendo – that have become name brands among gamers. Quietly, Rockstar Games has emerged as a successful studio, largely because of two unique franchises: Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption.
Each new installment in the series offers new, open-world games in which a player can follow story mode or roam the map in an open world experience.
On October 26, Rockstar released Red Dead Redemption II, the second installment of the series. In an era where first-person shooter and sports games seem to dominate the market, this game proved that massive open-world environments still have a place within today’s media. The game takes place at the end of the Wild West era, and law enforcement seeks to put an end to outlaws. As Arthur Morgan, the player must flee the law as a part of a gang while stealing, fighting, and exploring along the way. Initial reviews have written the game off as virtually perfect, with IGN giving it a 10/10.
The game combines a unique sense of flexibility, with tons of missions and adventures to go on, with in-game creatures and settings that are so vivid they feel like real life. After playing the game, Jack Hannah ‘22 reflected that “it’s like playing a game within a movie.” Levi Klein ‘19 asserted that the game had “the best graphics [he’s] ever seen in a video game”. There’s no doubt that Red Dead Redemption II was a complete success, generating 725 million dollars in its opening weekend. The real question is what comes next for Rockstar Games, and how they will continue to build upon their trademark style of video game.
The immediate answer is looking ahead to when they will release Grand Theft Auto 6 in 2022. Grand Theft Auto 5 was widely regarded as a game changer when it came out in 2008, years ahead of its time in its massive landscape, a 40-hour story mode, and a plethora of diverse characters.
With Red Dead Redemption II finally coming out as such a fantastic product, Rockstar could be set to take over the video game industry with Grand Theft Auto 6 on the horizon and much more thereafter.
