The entire Rockstar Games fanbase, including GTA 5 players, eagerly awaited a Red Dead Redemption remaster for months before the American gaming studio finally announced it on August 7, 2023. However, immediately after the trailer, fans were disappointed and started to call out Rockstar Games. Many alleged that the studio has become greedy and does not care about its players anymore. They also called out Take-Two Interactive’s CEO for his misleading statement in the past.
The community is now criticizing the gaming studio for its recent decisions that also include GTA series-related blunders. This article describes how players reacted to Red Dead Redemption’s re-release on the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch.
Note: Some parts of this article are subjective and only reflect the writer's opinions.
GTA fans are dissatisfied with Rockstar Games' Red Dead Redemption port for the PS4 and Nintendo Switch
On August 7, 2023, Rockstar Games released a new trailer for Red Dead Redemption’s re-release on YouTube, Facebook, and X. However, the player base criticized the studio for many things associated with it.
While the entire gaming community, including GTA fans, awaited a remastered version or remake of the game for modern gaming platforms, Rockstar only ported the game to the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch. Many fans were outraged by the decision to re-release a 13-year-old game on a 10-year-old console.
Popular GTA YouTuber GhillieMaster (YouTube/@GhillieMaster) took to X to criticize Rockstar Games’ decision to charge $49.99 for an old game that is not up to modern standards:
Meanwhile, popular insider Liam (X/@billsyliamgta), alleged that Strauss Zelnick, Take-Two Interactive’s CEO, lied to the fanbase:
According to a report published in Video Games Chronicle on March 3, 2021, Strauss Zelnick stated the following:
“...Remastering has always been a part of the strategy. We’ve done differently than the competition – we don’t just port titles over, we actually take the time to do the very best job we can making the title different for the new release…”
However, after the RDR 1 re-release announcement, many stated that Grand Theft Auto 5 Expanded and Enhanced version was better than the upcoming game.
Another insider named Gaming Detective (X/@that1detectiv3) criticized the studio’s decision to outsource the remaster. They mentioned the blunder of GTA Trilogy Definitive Edition and said that Rockstar Games did not learn their lesson.
A user named NexKel (X/@NexChel) lamented the lack of a PC port for the game:
Red Dead Redemption was originally released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 but still doesn’t have a PC port. Many players and fans were expecting to finally play the game officially on PC, but Rockstar’s decision to choose handheld and old-gen consoles has angered many.
Others also stated that they have lowered their expectation for the next untitled Grand Theft Auto game after some of the studio's recent decisions.