Rockstar Games and parent company Take-Two Interactive just got some very good news about their next big launch, Red Dead Redemption 2 Online.
The multiplayer part of Red Dead 2, the new online beta has yet to go live on PS4 and Xbox One.
However, following a financial report released today, it looks like they’re going to have a lot of participants.
The new Red Dead Online beta will be available to everyone who has a copy of the game, access to the internet, and the required console subscription.
And it looks like Rockstar Games will be able to rely on a lot of people to test it out, based on impressive new stats shared today.
Take-Two has announced that Red Dead Redemption 2 has sold-in 17 million units since its launch late last month.
It should be noted that this is the number sold to stores, rather than directly to the consumer, but is a large amount nonetheless.
It was already confirmed that RDR2 was the second fastest-selling entertainment product of all time behind GTA 5.
And there was some other encouraging news for the development team focused on Red Dead Online.
GTA 5 is still performing very well for the company, who are sticking to their earlier forecast that GTA Online will not be significantly cannibalised by the launch Red Dead 2.
“We said that we didn’t expect to see cannibalization [between GTA Online and Red Dead 2],” CEO Strauss Zelnick told Gamesindustry.biz.
“Every title competes with every other title – it doesn’t matter what label puts it out.
“And every title also competes with itself and compete with nothing at all. We did not see cannibalisation effects, and we don’t expect to.”
However, this really won’t be put to the test until Red Dead 2 Online is released on PS4 and Xbox One.
Rockstar has yet to confirm when their latest multiplayer venture will go live, however, an announcement is expected soon.
The Take-Two Interactive earnings call also included a short report from CEO Straus Zelnick, who confirmed that Red Dead Online would go live closer to the end of the month.
Plenty is already being reported about the new mode, which will start as a public beta on consoles.
“As we announced previously, Red Dead Online is a new online connected experience set against the backdrop of Red Dead Redemption 2’s enormous open world,” a message from Rockstar Games explains.
“As with most online experiences of this size and scale, there will inevitably be some turbulence at launch and we look forward to working with our amazing and dedicated community to share ideas, help us fix teething problems and work with us to develop Red Dead Online into something really fun and innovative.
“Using the gameplay of Red Dead Redemption 2 as a foundation, Red Dead Online will be ready to be explored alone or with friends, and will also feature constant updates and adjustments to grow and evolve this experience for all players.”
But even with the launch of Red Dead Online on PS4 and Xbox One, that still might not prove the complete reckoning for GTA Online.
Grand Theft Auto 5 is also playable on PC, a platform not yet announced for Red Dead Redemption 2.
Many predict that a PC port is likely but until it is announced and then launched, GTA Online will have a major platform all to itself.