“Red Dead Redemption 2” made $725 million in first weekend of sales

You gotta know when to hold ’em, know when to fold
’em.
Rockstar
Games

• The team behind “Grand Theft Auto,” Rockstar Games, has
  another massive hit on its hands.
• The new game is named “Red Dead Redemption 2,” and it’s
  off to a huge start: It grossed $725 million in its first three
  days.
• Rockstar is calling the launch “the single-biggest
  opening weekend in the history of entertainment.”

The most-anticipated game of 2018 is off to a killer start: “Red
Dead Redemption 2” made over $725 million in its first three days
of availability.

That’s according to Rockstar Games, the prestigious studio behind
the “Grand Theft Auto” and “Red Dead” franchises. 

“Red Dead Redemption 2” is the latest blockbuster from Rockstar —
a massive, years-long undertaking by a set of international
studios comprising thousands of people. The project was the first
from Rockstar Games to combine the collective workforce of all
its international studios, from New York City to India. There are
no official numbers of how much “Red Dead Redemption 2” cost to
make and market, but an educated guess puts it in the high
hundreds of millions.

The last major game from Rockstar was “Grand Theft Auto 5” way
back in 2013 — it’s the only game with a bigger launch, pulling
in over $1 billion in its first three days.

“Grand Theft Auto 5” is the third best-selling game of
all time, behind only “Minecraft” and
“Tetris.”
Rockstar
Games

It’s no huge surprise that the $60 “Red Dead Redemption 2” is
doing so well on the sales front: It’s a gorgeous, fascinating
game that’s been
lauded by critics and hyped by a blitz of marketing.

What is particularly surprising is one statistic about the game’s
sales on Sony’s PlayStation 4 — the most popular game console
available. Despite the game being available on both Xbox One and
PlayStation 4, “Red Dead Redemption 2” set sales records on the
PlayStation 4 as the highest-selling game on Sony’s PlayStation
Network digital storefront.

That’s particularly important given the massive success of games
like “God of War” and “Spider-Man” — games that
are only available on the PlayStation 4.

If “Red Dead Redemption 2” is already surpassing their digital
launch numbers on PlayStation 4, it means the game is off to a
pretty serious start. And, with the holiday sales season ahead,
it won’t be long before Rockstar’s latest blockbuster surpasses
the $1 billion mark.