Slatoff indirectly addressed concerns by talking about the PC platform in generalities, yet delivered more than many would have expected:
For those familiar with Take-Two’s past comments regarding PC plans, Slatoff’s comments are more of a confirmation than we’re used to. After all, the original Red Dead Redemption was never released for PC and Grand Theft Auto 5 genuinely had many fans wondering if the game would ever be brought to PC either. Recognizing the potential of PC platform is a dramatic change from past years.
Grand Theft Auto 5 came out during a time where anti-PC sentiment was at a peak among the industry’s largest publishers due to counter-piracy efforts. History shows there was never any need for fans to worry and that a Grand Theft Auto 5 PC port was likely planned from day one. The effort that’s gone into Grand Theft Auto Online proves that. Yet it was stressful for fans at the time and that stress lingers. Red Dead Redemption is still console exclusive after all.
With Red Dead Redemption 2, it’s hard to imagine that the game won’t eventually come to PC. As Slatoff says, PC is a particularly lucrative market for the publisher. But with franchises like Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption, console will always come first. Grand Theft Auto 5’s gradual shift from PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One to PC, has proven to be one of the most successful business decisions of the decade. There’s no reason not to prioritize console development and then shift resources to PC only when it makes sense.
That’s not going to stop everyone from asking Take-Two and Rockstar about a Red Dead Redemption 2 PC port at every opportunity. And it won’t stop fans from worrying, but the wait could be worth it in the end.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is tentatively planned for release in the first half of 2018 for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
