Strauss Zelnick, CEO of Take-Two Interactive, has firmly rejected the narrative that Red Dead Online represents a missed opportunity, citing the franchise's staggering commercial performance as proof of its success. His comments come as the community grows increasingly vocal about the game's content drought and waning developer attention.
Red Dead Redemption 2, which launched in 2018, has now sold over 85 million copies worldwide, catapulting it to the third best-selling video game of all time, behind only Minecraft and Grand Theft Auto 5. That figure alone, Zelnick argued during a recent interview, makes any claim of underperformance difficult to defend.
"There is literally nothing about Red Dead selling 85 million units that could signal a missed opportunity," Zelnick said. "And Red Dead Online has been immensely successful and long lasting."
The comparison to GTA Online, however, looms large in the industry conversation. A data leak last month revealed that Rockstar's flagship multiplayer experience dwarfs Red Dead Online in both revenue and active players. GTA 5 itself has sold 230 million copies, 145 million more than its Wild West counterpart. Yet Zelnick suggested the perception gap owes more to GTA's unprecedented success than any actual failure on Red Dead's part.
"If we didn't have Grand Theft Auto here at our company, then people would just talk about the fact that we have this massive franchise in Red Dead, which we do and of which we're very proud," Zelnick explained.
The numbers alone tell a complex story. According to the leaked data, Red Dead Online maintains nearly 1 million weekly active players, a figure most games would celebrate. Yet for a live-service title operating in the shadow of one of gaming's most dominant franchises, that player base has grown restless.
Red Dead Online's last major content update arrived in July 2021 with the Blood Money expansion. Since then, Rockstar has moved to a monthly event schedule, with last year's Strange Tales of the West update offering only a fleeting sense that the game might be headed toward more substantial content. That hope has not materialized into meaningful new material.
The broader frustration extends beyond content gaps. The community has long complained about griefing issues that go unaddressed, while a modernization request has gone unfulfilled for years. Red Dead Redemption 2 still runs at 30 frames per second on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S, despite persistent fan calls and recurring rumors of a 60fps patch in development.
Zelnick defended the game's continued relevance despite its age, pointing to its production quality and artistic merit. "I actually personally think Red Dead is just amazing and I love engaging with it. And I think the reason it continues to sell is that it's just spectacular entertainment. It's beautiful and it feels very up to date despite the fact that it's not a new title."
Talk of a Red Dead Redemption 3 has never fully disappeared from industry conversation. Co-founder Dan Houser said last year that a third installment "will probably happen," while actor Roger Clark, who voiced protagonist Arthur Morgan, expressed certainty that fans would eventually see it, though he offered no timeline. Even celebrity interest persists, with Jack Black recently weighing in on which character he'd want to play in a potential sequel.
For now, Rockstar's resources remain focused on Grand Theft Auto 6, leaving Red Dead Online in a holding pattern. Whether the studio will eventually circle back to its Western franchise with renewed investment remains an open question that Zelnick's defense, however robust on paper, has not entirely put to rest.
Author Emily Chen: "Zelnick's argument would land stronger if Red Dead Online wasn't actively bleeding player goodwill from stagnation, but the sales figures do make 'missed opportunity' ring hollow."
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