We’ve always joked that publishers around the world heaved a sigh of relief when Red Dead Redemption 2 was delayed into next year, since it gave them a clearer window for their games to do well. Now, Ubisoft has admitted in as many words that Red Dead Redemption 2‘s delay will probably be good for the games that it plans on releasing in the long run.
“Clearly the fact that there is no Red Dead Redemption 2 is a positive for our fiscal year 2018. This is something that we had taken into our financial assumptions. So the absence of that game is of course giving us a better window for the launch of some of our games,” Ubisoft CFO Alain Martinez said to shareholders in the latest financial briefing. “At this time, however, is too early to say what kind of impact Red Dead Redemption 2′s delay could have for the next months, obviously we have more confidence but we think it’s too early to change our guidance,” he added.
It makes sense- Rockstar games are mammoth games that not only sell millions on the first day, but then sustain their sales over years- no other company in the industry manages that. Most publishers probably don’t want to be competing with a new Rockstar game, and undoubtedly, Ubisoft, with many games that fall under similar umbrellas as Rockstar’s, is among them.
Of course, now Red Dead Redemption 2 will be terrorizing publishers next year, so there is that…