With over 90 million units shipped, Grand Theft Auto 5 is one of the most commercially successful video games of all time, not just for Rockstar, but for the entire industry at large. As per industry analyst Doug Creutz of Cowen & Company, though, there is a very low chance that any Rockstar game will ever surpass GTA 5’s achievements- and that includes Red Dead Redemption 2 as well.
While speaking with Market Watch, he calls GTA 5 a “wild outlier”, saying that “maybe with the exception something Nintendo has made”, probably Mario Brothers, “there’s never been a console game that’s sold so many units”, which seems like a pretty accurate assertion, which is why he claims Red Dead Redemption 2 most likely won’t hit the same commercial heights.
“That’s not to say Rockstar won’t have other big hits,” Creutz says. “It may. But another ‘GTA V’ isn’t likely. Michael Jackson had a lot of hit albums but he only had one ‘Thriller.’” That sounds like a pretty fair statement, and frankly, I don’t think anyone would disagree. Read Dead Redemption 2 is one of the most highly anticipates games of the year, sequel to a game that won countless Game of the Year awards in 2010, and there’s no doubt that it will sell a lot.
But will it outsell GTA 5, or even come close to those sales figures? It’s unlikely. It’s unlikely that anything will. And that’s not a slight on Red Dead’s ability to move units, it’s just a testament to the ridiculously incredible commercial performance of GTA 5. Selling 90 million units (and still showing no signs of stopping) is no easy feat.
Red Dead Redemption 2 releases on October 26 for the Xbox One and PS4. Stay tuned to GamingBolt for continued coverage on the game.