2K Czech's mafioso actioner now due during August-October; Rockstar's open-world Western stabled until May 18.
This year began with reports of trouble at Rockstar San Diego, developer of Red Dead Redemption. Accusations of harsh conditions by a person claiming to be an overworked employee's spouse led to further accusations that the open-world Western's development was in trouble. Rockstar Games denied both claims and asserted in January that Red Dead Redemption would ship on April 27 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
Unfortunately, Rockstar's claims were premature. As part of its quarterly earnings report today, Rockstar parent company Take-Two Interactive announced that Red Dead Redemption has been slightly delayed. The game will now mosey into North American stores on May 18 and on May 21 in other territories.
Speaking to analysts after the report, Take-Two chairman Strauss Zelnick said that the delay was because May provided a better release window and would allow Take-Two more time to market the game. He also said that economic conditions "are on the upswing" and that "coming out of an economic downturn is a good time to release a Western."
Also pushed back is Mafia II, which had been scheduled for release sometime during the first half of the calendar year. The game is now due during Take-Two's fourth fiscal quarter, which runs from August to October.
It will be a busy three months for the publisher, which also plans to release L.A. Noire, Max Payne 3, and Sid Meier's Civilization V during the period. So busy, in fact, that Take-Two president and CEO Ben Feder is already laying the foundation for more delays. This afternoon, he stated that the company's fiscal outlook allows for "one of those games being pushed into the next fiscal year."
Mafia II has been in development since at least 2007 at 2K Czech (nee Illusion Softworks) in Prague for the PC, PS3, and 360. Like its predecessor, it is an open-world game set in the 1940s and 1950s in a fictional US city beset by organized crime--of which the player is (naturally) a part.
Surely the best way to market a game is to release it so that it can be reviewed? Most gamers nowadays will only buy a game if it's been given a decent review. Delaying a game so that you can release more flashy, intense trailers does nothing but anger people who have been watching this game get delayed time and time again. AARRRGGGHHHH!!!!
Releasing on the same date of one of the most popular action adventures - Prince Of Persia ---- Not a good idea IMO......
@dragon31691 Agreed, also I have yet to see many tv spots, good move on take two's part. Yes the core gamers are ecstatic about the release of this game but the casual gamers probably have no idea it's even coming out, or what the hell the red dead series even is, so given the trailers I've seen online i think if they take the extra month or so to put something on T.V its gonna expand their profits much more than if not. also @Cronus1986 I realize it does suck but this money will pay for our dlc and the next bad ass R.S. game! and they have yet to disappoint me.
@Cronus1986 making video games is a business and so the whole point is to make money. If they can make more money shifting the release date a little bit it would be incompetent of them not to! If they don't make money they can't keep making games for impatient whiners like you.
It is also quite likely that the greedy bastards just did this out of financial reasons, lots of great games have come out in march and since they had planned to release it in the last week of march they may have been afraid that lots of people will be broke after buying God of War 3, FF XIII, BF Bad Company 2 and several other games that came out this month... Lots of broke people = crappy first week sales, so they shift the date for 2 months, greed ftl... Anyway whether it is incompitence or simple greed Rockstar fails again...
Meh more lies from game devs... They set a concrete release date so people waste money on preorders and then at the last moment they announce that the game will be "slightly" delayed by 2 months lol... It would be understandable if you had a vague Q1 or Q2 date but if you set an exact date then you damn well release it on that date even if you have to work those lazy noobs 24/7 to get it done, sick of devs making promisses they cant keep... This even makes me like Blizzards lame release date policy where they announce it like a week or two before the game comes out, it may be annoying not to know when it comes out, but at least that way people can preorder in peace instead of wondering if the game will be delayed for several months...
Gamefreak, aTrueplaya, and nasuang, you guys need to go crawl back into your mothers' womb. I really wish you knew how hard gaming development actually is so you would stop whining about not having a product in hand... you guys are seriously the defintion of the term "waste of space"...
I want to know the release date of mafia II.Why mafia II don't release on May.Beacuse I went to play mafia II now.
like i always say. delayed games better come out 1 billion percent complete, ready for dlc, and just perfect. gaming sites should give it 10's and be so awesome it will melt consoles the minute it is downloaded, destroy download services like direct 2 drive and steam and just make you pass out from its awesomeness. come on, delayed games better not be "done" just waiting to be shipped bc of fiscal earnings. they better go back to the drawing boards quickly and add more things for the wait
I've been waiting for a whole damn year for the release of Mafia II , but well .. err .. March will get me broke with all those big name games , so "May" may be a better choice
Red Dead delayed.....Mafia II delayed.......It figures..... Red Dead is gonna be cool, I have no doubts but Mafia II is what I look forward to........
I can easily wait another 3 weeks for Red Dead Redemption, games looking (surprisingly) awesome. But Mafia 2? Seems like that games been in development forever...
making people work to much? sounds like a good idea to me, rockstar. after all, the more work put in the better. and i can deal with a 2 week delay. CANT deal with the six month delay on mafia 2
RDR just fell to the bottom of my buying list now. 1.Uncharted 2 2.FFXIII 3.Red Dead f*cking Redemption
i like games to be pushed for a later release, there are many good games already in the market, and its always good that the developers have more time to finish their games, especially a very important one as mafia 2
But I don't wanna wait! I've been looking forward to slinging a six shooter for too long just so that this will happen!
2 games I am looking forward to this year!!, delayed again!!!! oh well its been a good year so far, and its gonna get better
WIth Rockstar I think we can rest assured that longer is better. Just hope the whole "work condition" thing is not all true. Because too many "good" companies are built up on the lower tier people working like dogs while the top executives reap the rewards...
I can wait that long for red dead now I have BC2...still kinda bummed. Better be good!
Mafia, in particular, is one really tough act to follow.I don't mind them taking their time.
I hate delays, but what I hate more is when a highly anticipated game is delayed 3 times, then comes out and is crap. Hopefully since it's from Rockstar that won't happen.
At least it's only a month. Beats the six-month delay for GTA IV and the years for Twilight Princess.
Hmmm, I'm a little bummed out to hear this news. I've been looking forward to Red Dead for a long time now. Then again, what is a couple more weeks? I'm too busy with BioShock 2 and a handful of other games right now anyways. I just hope it doesn't get delayed again...
as long as the game is awesome i dnt really care if it takes a little bit more time to be released
AGAIN???? This is ridiculous, get the work done on time. I've had Mafia 2 on reserve for 6 years I think
All games that I'm desperately awaiting for are getting delayed. First it happened with Grand Theft Auto IV, then Splinter Cell: Conviction and now this. Sigh !!!
IMO - RDR is going to be a solid game. If I read the article correctly, it says they are delaying it for "Better Marketing"? What's that? And if i am also correct about this, RDR has already been polished and awaiting the release date. But, if RS can polish a little more, go for it, can only help make it the game most already come to expect from RS. But again, from my understanding in this update, RS is delaying just about everything for marketing and boosting their own fiscal quarters, rather than releasing multiple titles and competing against their very own games. Either way. Can't wait for any of these titles to hit shelves. Later peps.
Damn delays... Guess nothing we can really do except hope that the dev will use that time to make the games better.
Well, as long as RDR comes out as the perfect game I don't mind waiting a few more weeks before grabbin' my pair of six-shooters and get me some shootin' done.
I think its funny that alot of people complain about game delays, but are the first ones to get on and wine about bugs and bad gameplay. it just gives you time to save up your little change for more games and lets you finish some others. Lets just hope theyre doing what needs to be done.
This had better be the only delay on this game. I've been waiting for this game for months and I was counting down the days. It will be worth the wait regardless. GO WAR HORSE!
Why does it have to come out within a week of the release of UFC Undisputed 2010? i'm sure many MMA fans are Rockstar fans, but most are only gonna have time or money for one or the other.
I don't mind RDR being delayed. That way i get more time for Just Cause 2 and Battlefield Bad Company 2
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