Rockstar’s ‘Red Dead Redemption 2’ Breaks Sales Records

According to Rockstar Games, its “Red Dead Redemption 2” earned more than $725 million in global retail sales in its first three days on the market, breaking several records. The company deemed it “the biggest opening weekend in the history of entertainment,” surpassing the $640 million raked in by “Avengers: Infinity War,” which earned more than $640 million in its opening weekend. But “Red Dead Redemption 2” doesn’t top Rockstar Games’ own “Grand Theft Auto V,” which pulled in more than $1 billion in its first three days.

Variety reports that, according to Sony Interactive Entertainment, “Red Dead Redemption 2” also “set records for highest ever pre-orders, highest day one sales and highest sales for the first three days in market on the PlayStation Network.”

The game is also “currently the highest critically reviewed game on the PlayStation 4, with an average score of 97 on Metacritic, and the top game on Xbox One, also with an average score of 97 on Metacritic.” Variety’s own review of the game said it makes “an incredible first impression … [with] one of the most visually stunning environments ever executed in a video game.”

Bloomberg reports that Sam and Dan Houser, brothers who are responsible for “Red Dead Redemption 2” as well as “Grand Theft Auto,” “will get the bulk of an expected $538 million in royalties Take-Two Interactive Software [of which Rockstar is a subsidiary] will pay to all employees for this year.”

That take is considered extraordinary in the gaming industry, even though sharing profits is common. Take-Two distributes “internal royalties” to more than 2,000 Rockstar employees and, last year, distributed $383 million.

Newzoo forecasts that the video-game industry will reap $138 billion this year, and “Red Dead 2” is expected to sell “at least 15 million copies by the end of the year.” In comparison, “Grand Theft Auto V” has sold 100 million copies and earned over $6 billion in revenue, “more than the last 10 James Bond films combined.” Piper Jaffray reported that, “last year, the online version brought Take-Two $758 million in revenue.”

The online version of “Red Dead” is due out in November, and will allow players to buy gear.

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