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Red Dead Redemption videos show off pre-order options
Rockstar sent along videos showcasing each of the Red Dead Redemption pre-orders currently available, and we just can't decide which one to go with -- they all look so good. You can see all three of them over on the game's website. Pre-ordering from Amazon, you'll remember, will get you a Golden Guns pack, pre-ordering the game at GameStop will nab you the fan-selected Deadly Assassin Outfit and ordering the game from Best Buy will get you the War Horse, which you can see in the video above. Wait a minute -- we just decided. We're totally going with the horsie. His name will be Roger and we will hug him and feed him and dodge explosions and shoot bad guys from his back and it will be the awesomest. Roger is the best horse ever. He's tougher than any other horse!
Red Dead Redemption date wrangled, pinned to May 18
As part of its latest financial results report today, Take-Two delayed Red Dead Redemption by several weeks. Previously scheduled to arrive on April 27, the game is now slated to release in North America on May 18 and internationally on May 21. The announcement doesn't specify a reason for the move, though it's worth pointing out that the new date moves Red Dead Redemption out of the publisher's fiscal Q2 (February–April) and into its third quarter (beginning May 1). [Update: During an investor call corresponding with the financial report, Take-Two chairman Strauss Zelnick clarified that the delay was issued to extend the game's pre-release marketing period.] Take-Two also notes that financial guidance for its fiscal 2010 has been adjusted to take the date change into account. While Read Dead Redemption was at the center of a controversy concerning developer Rockstar San Diego, a barrage of recent media assets and confirmation of retail pre-order bonuses seems to indicate that development is on track.
Red Dead Redemption screens introduce the locals
Rockstar has an exclusive -- wait, how can Rockstar have the exclusive on its own game? Anyway, there's a set of screens for Read Dead Redemption over at Rockstar's site. The screens take a noticeable departure from the usual media we've seen coming from the game, trading in the requisite gunplay and horseback riding for brief bios on some of the world's inhabitants. Above, you can see Nigel West Dickens, the kindly old gentleman who promises to cure what ails you through one of his many tonics. Is there anything that drinking didn't fix back in the old west? So mosey on down to Rockstar's site to see all them thar screens if you please, cowpoke.
Red Dead Redemption trailer introduces us to 'The Women'
Now, we know what you're thinking. "Oh, Rockstar's released a trailer featuring the female protagonists in Red Dead Redemption. We're guessing there's a scantily-clad burlesque dancer with a heart of gold, a scantily-clad cowgirl with a heart of gold and a fiery, scantily-clad revolutionista with a heart of gold." Well, you're awfully close -- just replace all three instances of "scantily-clad" with "completely badass," and you're a bit closer to the truth. Check out the trailer above to see Red Dead Redemption's reasonably-dressed femme fatales spit some sass and shoot some dudes.
Red Dead Redemption trailer -- "The Law"
You're going to watch the above trailer (dubbed "The Law") for Rockstar's upcoming Red Dead Redemption regardless of what we say about it here, so we thought we'd try a little experiment: Don't watch it! That's right, don't watch it ... instead, close your eyes and just listen to it. The voice acting oscillates between excellent and simply serviceable and the dialogue sounds historically appropriate; but the music ... the music is where this trailer sets itself apart. It's like Ennio Morricone himself took the gig. So sling your poncho over your shoulder, close your eyes, and pull the trigger on that play button.
Red Dead Redemption pre-order bonuses announced
Red Dead Redemption's many, many pre-order bonuses are now detailed on the game's official website, and we can't imagine anyone will be prepared for the barrage of options listed when you click that link. No less than eight different pre-order bonuses, split between ten different US and UK retailers have been dreamed up by marketing. In typical Rockstar fashion, the practice of "exclusive" bonus content has become excessive bonus content. Among the options listed are the "Golden Guns Weapon Pack" (more "Fame" per kill), from Amazon, which also comes with a $10 Amazon gift card; the "War Horse," a steed that Rockstar claims can't be bested by any other horse in the game, only available from Best Buy and HMV; and the "Deadly Assassin Outfit" from UK retailer Game (and maybe GameStop, if the getup wins the vote -- uh-huh, there's a pre-order vote). So yeah, we're going with the Amazon option, too. %Gallery-43816%
Red Dead Redemption screens go hogtie wild
We've already seen John Marston get himself into a whole mess of different being a cowboy-related situations before Red Dead Redemption's impending April release date, but today's are (as you might imagine) just a bit different. That's right, folks -- this time he's got a lasso. Rather than employing the ubiquitous Old West tool in cow wrangling, though, Marston drops some rope-based justice on fools and horses alike (okay okay -- we suppose it's possible there are also some fool horses). Peep the five new screens below in our hi-res gallery. %Gallery-84843%
Latest Red Dead Redemption screens sneak up and take us out
Alright, alright, not really -- they're just screenshots, folks! But these four new screens do most assuredly feature Red Dead Redemption's main hero (and his buddy Marshall Johnson) sneaking up on a variety of old West bad guys to, presumably, take them out -- the folks at Rockstar claim that these shots are about "taking cover," but we can see with our own eyes that they're clearly about clandestinely poppin' fools. We've still got a few more months before the game's scheduled release date of April 27, and as such, we'd be willing to bet this isn't the last we've seen of Mr. Marston and his U.S. Marshall buddies. %Gallery-83751%
Rockstar speaks out regarding San Diego studio accusations
While we've heard from nearly everyone else regarding recent quality of life accusations at Rockstar San Diego (not to mention Rockstar Vancouver and New York), we are just today seeing the first direct response to the claims from Rockstar itself. In a post this afternoon on the company's blog ("Rockstar Newswire"), a representative responds to a fan question on the subject by saying, "As for the stories spreading around the internet, yes we have noticed them ... Unfortunately, this is a case of people taking the opinions of a few anonymous posters on message boards as fact." The Rockstar rep also assured readers that Red Dead Redemption -- the San Diego dev studio's latest game -- is on track for its April 27 release in the US, and Rockstar "could not be more excited with how the game is looking and playing." With regards to actually addressing the accusations leveled at the company, the rep was a bit more dismissive. "We're saddened if any former members of any studio did not find their time here enjoyable or creatively fulfilling and wish them well with finding an environment more suitable to their temperaments and needs, but the vast majority of our company are focused solely on delivering cutting edge interactive entertainment. We've always cared passionately about the people working here, and have always tried to maintain a supportive creative environment." Though the piece admits "no business is ever perfect," it pointedly notes the enormous challenge that comes with "such large scale, high quality games." Unfortunately, there is no mention of the recently released "Eye of Sauron" wallpapers.
IGDA issues statement regarding 'Rockstar spouse' accusations
While we've yet to hear anything from Rockstar Games surrounding the repeated allegations of mismanagement and overwork of employees at its San Diego, Vancouver, and New York City studios, the International Game Developers Association has issued a statement denouncing the claimed actions by Rockstar. "In any studio, the IGDA finds the practice of undisclosed and constant overtime to be deceptive, exploitative, and ultimately harmful not only to developers but to their final product and the industry as a whole," it reads. Moreover, it highlights the importance of "events like these" for raising visibility of "quality of life issues in the industry and among the public." It goes on to point out the December 2009 "IGDA Quality of Life survey" that found "over half of the developers surveyed felt that they needed more time for themselves and their families." Perhaps unsurprisingly, nearly every email we've received from Rockstar employees regarding the recent claims has mentioned this exact problem.
Rockstar quietly settled class-action lawsuit with 'over 100' ex-Rockstar San Diego employees
In April of 2009, Rockstar Games settled out of court with with "over 100" Rockstar San Diego employees to the tune of $2.75 million (approximately $27,500 per person). The case, "Garrett Flynn, et al. v. Angel Studios, Inc./Rockstar Games et al.," was filed on August 21, 2006, by ex-Rockstar San Diego 3D artists Terri-Kim Chuckry and Garrett Flynn on behalf of themselves and fellow 3D artists, alleging that Angel Studios/Rockstar San Diego had "failed to pay overtime compensation ... to certain Angel employees whose primary duties are or were to create, produce, copy and/or install images into video games, using commercial or in-house software computer programs." Sound familiar? That's likely due to the past week's barrage of Rockstar Games employees speaking out against alleged quality of life issues at the developer's various studios, including claims of "numerous non-exempt designers and artists have had their overtime pay cut as a result for being 'too senior.'" In a press release issued after the settlement, Rockstar Games refuted the lawsuit's claims. "Angel denies the allegations in the lawsuit and admits no liability or wrongdoing in settlement." The settlement document (obtained earlier today by Joystiq) also spells out Rockstar's reasons for settling the suit, saying "further litigation would be protracted and expensive for all parties." Unsurprisingly, the company also contested in the settlement that a ruling against it was "relatively unlikely" for a number of reasons. That said, when a multi-billion dollar corporation settles a suit with its employees out of court and awards them nearly $3 million in compensation, that's quite a statement unto itself -- regardless of the great lengths at which the final court settlement goes to deny that claim. We've contacted Rockstar Games for comment and haven't heard back as of publishing.
Sources: Red Dead Redemption development in trouble [update]
When we recently spoke with our trusted sources from Rockstar San Diego, in addition to yesterday's information regarding the Midnight Club franchise, we were also told about the allegedly troubled state of Red Dead Redemption. One source said that the game "was a complete disaster for most of 2009 and previous ... it has since turned around a little bit, but there are huge problems with it still." Unsurprisingly, the issues with the game are repeatedly claimed to be the result of mismanagement -- along the same lines as what was mentioned in the recent "Rockstar spouse" letter. "Red Dead [Redemption] has been in production for six years (mainly because of horrible management/lack of direction due to fear of disrespecting Rockstar NY) and it will never get the money back in sales it cost to create for those six years," claimed another source. We asked Wedbush Morgan's Michael Pachter to estimate how many copies he thinks Red Dead Redemption needs to sell to make back its development costs and, more importantly for Take-Two, to be profitable. "I'd say realistically, if everybody [at Rockstar San Diego] was working on it this whole time -- so let's assume it's four years to be fair [Red Dead Revolver was released in March 2004], that's $40 million (about $10 million a year to run the studio) -- to make that back and just break even you need at least $80 million in sales; 1.75 million units. For profit: $160 million/3.5 million units." Pachter added that "it's got a shot" and that, from what he's seen of the game, "it looks phenomenal." Our sources are less hopeful, unfortunately: "The functional team that was Midnight Club was shattered. All the people who didn't quit or get fired were thrown onto Red Dead Redemption, many of them being demoted. The completely disfunctional team that is RDR was put to top priority. The people who had floundered on that project or outright screwed it up were promoted and are now in complete control of the studio, and they're running it into the ground." We'll have to see when the game arrives in stores this April -- if it does. We contacted Rockstar for comment on this story and have yet to hear back as of publishing. Update: We were contacted regarding this story by one Rockstar source, who told us: "It will take 5 million 4 million sales at full price to recoup the development costs of Red Dead. The good news is they [Rockstar] are not expecting to make money with Red Dead Redemption. At this point, that project is just supposed to prove that the San Diego studio can make a great quality AAA title." If you'd like to contact us regarding this or other stories surrounding the "Rockstar spouse" letter, we'd love to hear from you.
Sources: Rockstar San Diego not working on more Midnight Club games, future games in jeopardy
After last week's Rockstar spouse letter, we got in contact with a couple of trusted sources at Rockstar San Diego to find out more information about exactly what's happening inside the studio. Though our sources asked to be kept anonymous, each independently brought up the poor state of the Midnight Club franchise -- a series traditionally handled by the Rockstar San Diego team. "Jay Panek and Mark Garone, people who were at the company for over 10 years, were fired in 2009 after the completion of Midnight Club: LA ... other major people quit, as they lost hope in the company after the handling of MC:LA and didn't want to work on Red Dead Redemption," one source told us. "The management slowly dismantled the MC team for reasons unknown to most," added another. When we asked if there are any more Midnight Club games planned for development at Rockstar San Diego, we were told, "At first, the team was told there was going to be another. That lasted a few months until the team was told, 'Well, we're going to do another, but it will be all outsourced ... but there will be a core team of 5 - 15 people at RSSD working on it.' Then, after a while longer, it was just not going to happen at all. Rumors abound about what will happen to Midnight Club, but Take-Two want something soon because it was the second highest money maker for Rockstar." The issues surrounding Midnight Club stem from a number of things, according to our sources. "New York management not giving us realistic release schedules" is prime among them, with repeated accusations of last minute changes and mismanaged planning. "Anyone from the New York office is feared, because people in the San Diego office know that they are unstable and needy ... in other words, if a comment comes from a person from New York, it's a mandate that needs to be immediately addressed regardless of previous priorities." We've reached out to Rockstar for official comment, but have yet to hear back as of this publishing. If you work/worked for Rockstar Games and would like to speak to us on or off the record, we're all ears.
Rumor: Wives of Rockstar San Diego rally for better work conditions
According a Gamasutra user blog penned by "Rockstar spouse," working conditions at Rockstar San Diego -- the studio responsible for not just the Red Dead franchise, but also Rockstar's proprietary "RAGE" game engine -- have been deteriorating for quite some time due to "mismanagement." Claims ranging from a neverending "crunch" cycle to lack of appreciation to straight up "dishonesty" are leveled in the post, with a handful of comments (some anonymous, some from verified ex-Rockstar San Diego employees) corroborating, and often adding to, the complaints. "This is EXACTLY the reason I left Rockstar San Diego in February 2009," commented one ex-Rockstar employee. An alleged employee speaking anonymously said, "There were extended core hours, frustrations rising, and then a false promise of the dropping of mandatory Saturdays, which seemed to last for about three such Saturdays." The "Quality of Life" issue discussed in the piece isn't a new one for the games industry. It was first brought up in late 2004 with the "EA Spouse" letter (also anonymous), and again mid last year with Epic Games exec Mike Capps. We've contacted Rockstar and followed up with Rockstar San Diego employees for more information.
Round up some new Red Dead Redemption screens
click to enlarge Clearly sensing our need to come up with more Wild West headline puns, Rockstar has released four (count 'em, four) new screens of the gun-slinging sequel, Red Dead Redemption. The shots cover a fairly broad cross section of subjects, from dilapidated riverboat gunfights to exploding carriages and, of course, some nice, arid backdrops. We still don't know much about Redemption's gameplay, but we can safely say one thing: It sure is purdy. On a more substantial front, Rockstar promises more info "in the next couple of weeks," notably the entry in the series of gameplay videos that began in December. In the meantime, check out the new screens in the gallery below. %Gallery-82327%
Red Dead Redemption gameplay trailer is awesome, educational
For the past few months, Rockstar has been teasing us with gorgeous in-game trailers for its upcoming open-world Wild West action game Red Dead Redemption. Well, today the teasing stops. The developer has thrown open the corral gates and let loose a trailer with actual gameplay -- and we think you'd have to agree it looks pretty amazing. More than just a bunch of quick cuts between brief action clips, it's fully narrated, describing the goals of the dev team at Rockstar San Diego and backing them up with in-game footage. Besides just talking up how open the open-world is, it goes into aspects such as the ability to play like a hero or outlaw -- do you bring your bounty back alive or dead? -- and also shows quick glimpses of a variety of cool-looking gameplay, from the old "try to stab the table between your fingers without cutting yourself" to dragging a guy behind your horse on a rope. But, mostly, it just looks so damn cool. We'll stop with the talking so you can commence with the watching. Giddyup!
Red Dead Redemption coming April 27, trailer coming right now
Honestly, we blame the rest of the video game industry for our susceptibility to Rockstar trailers. If everybody were putting together ads that were half as stylish and cool as this new Red Dead Redemption trailer, we'd likely be immune at this point. As it stands, this introduction to lead character John Marston leaves us with the gnawing feeling that our lives will be utterly incomplete without its shootouts and horseback chases. Luckily, the trailer makes our longing finite with the new official release date of April 27 or, as you'll probably come to think of it after watching the clip, "not nearly soon enough."
Red Dead Redemption saddles up in April 2010
While announcing a new trailer for upcoming western epic Red Dead Redemption, Rockstar let it slip that the game is slated to arrive in April of next year, according to Videogamer.com. That gives your wallet yet another reason to be terrified of the first third of 2010. The latest clip of the game, dubbed "My Name is John Marston," will arrive on December 1. Allow us to give you a sneak peek: John Marston: "I used to be bad, but now I'm good!" Former bad guy friend: "I wish you were still bad, but you're not, so I'm gonna make you kill me!" John Marston: "Man, it sure is dusty here!" [Gunshots] [Fade to black]
These new Red Dead Redemption screens aren't horsing around
click to redeem for a larger screenshot From the first trailer, we've been hankering to see more from Rockstar's open-world treatment of the Wild West, Red Dead Redemption. That said, there was considerable hootin' and hollerin' around the 'Stiq when the dev dished out these latest screens today. As good as RDR looks, its gameplay sounds equally impressive given the demo we got during PAX 2009. The ability to kill everything in the game (well, with the exception of things that aren't alive in the first place -- you win this time, rock!) is perhaps overshadowed only by the fact that you'll be able to tan your own leather and sell it, fulfilling a life-long dream for at least .01% of those who'll play it.Yip-yip yee-haw your way through the new shots in the gallery below, pardners.%Gallery-75132%
PAX 2009: Red Dead Redemption lets you kill ... everything
Red Dead Redemption's promised Wild West sandbox came to life in a build shown off to attendees at PAX over the weekend. One of the first things we noticed is that you can end a life whenever you want. What kind of lives? See a bunny bouncing by? Kablam. Attacked by a wild bear? Kapow. Angry at your horse and want to put him down? Kablang. You can kill literally every living thing in the game and, in some cases, skin them and sell their hides to the furrier in town to make some dough. We doubt he deals in horse skins, however. There's more beyond the break, just mind you don't get shot.%Gallery-72189%
