Rockstar Teases Red Dead 2, Explains GTA 5 Heist Delay, Defends Microtransactions

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The evidence for Red Dead Redemption 2 continues to mount. The latest tease came today as part of Rockstar Games' "Asked & Answered" feature, wherein the developer said it is happy to see continued excitement over its Western franchise years after its release. Though the company isn't ready yet to officially talk about a sequel, the developer told fans to "stay tuned" in 2015 for potential news.
"As we've mentioned when asked in the past about new games in other series such as Red Dead Redemption, Bully, and L.A. Noire, we don't always rush to make sequels, but that does not mean we won't get to them eventually," Rockstar said. "We have so many games we want to make and the issue is always one of bandwidth and timing. We thank longtime fans such as yourselves as always for your amazing support and please stay tuned in 2015 for announcements of what's to come from Rockstar Games."
That Rockstar Games would make a sequel to 2010's Red Dead Redemption wouldn't come as much of a surprise. After all, the game sold 13 million copies. On top of that, Rockstar parent company Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick has previously referred to the Red Dead Redemption series as a "permanent" one, similar to James Bond and Grand Theft Auto.
Rockstar San Diego, the developer of the original Red Dead Redemption, currently has a whopping 35 open positions, suggesting the developer is working on something big.
Might the rumored Red Dead Redemption sequel follow Grand Theft Auto V and introduce a first-person mode? Rockstar didn't say one way or the other, but stressed that it remains "committed" to third-person games.
"We are excited by the response to our first effort at a first-person experience, but remain committed to third person games and may or may not use first person as a camera option in the future," Rockstar said. "We do like to, whenever possible, give people options so they can play a game the way they like."
GTA V's first-person mode is available only on Xbox One and PlayStation 4--and will be introduced on PC when that version launches next month.
Rockstar's latest Asked & Answered feature is a great read, tackling a number of interesting topics. We've rounded up some of the most interesting answers below.
Why GTA V's First-Person Mode Isn't Available On Xbox 360/PS3:
"First-person mode is a new feature that is only technically possible for us to add to the game with the expanded memory that the new generation platforms provide. There are thousands of new animations added to the game to facilitate first-person mode, which would have been impossible to do on the previous generation of consoles without seriously compromising the game in some other capacity."
On Why GTA Online Offers Microtransactions:
"The reason we included optional in-game currency in Grand Theft Auto Online, rather than directly selling DLC, was because it was the only way that we could distribute DLC without dividing the player base each time we brought out a new content pack, which would destroy the online community very quickly by splitting players up. Thanks to Shark Cards, we have been able to give away every piece of DLC so far for free in order to keep the community whole and give people options as to whether they want to earn new content by playing the game, buy new content with Shark Cards or simply don't get new content and still keep playing the game."
Why GTA Online Heists Are Taking So Long:
"Heists were a much bigger challenge to create than we had originally anticipated. Early versions were simply not good enough and had to be scrapped more than once as we honed in on how we thought they should work. We're happy to say that the pack we are now finalizing is something we are excited by and eager to release as soon as it is ready. We, as a company, have always been about trying to make something that is good rather than hitting a date. We apologize when this gets frustrating but firmly believe that rushing out second-rate content does not do anyone any favors. Hopefully you agree that yesterday’s new Trailer is a sign that Heists are shaping up nicely, but we still need some time to fine tune them. Because we need a little time to get Heists right, we are going to give you a small Christmas gift to keep you entertained until we are done with them."
How Is The PC Version Of GTA V Shaping Up?:
"We're presently in the final stages of development on the PC version of Grand Theft Auto V and hope to have confirmed official system requirements to share soon here at the Newswire, please stay tuned for that to be announced in the coming week. Thank you and we're very excited to bring GTAV to the PC gaming community."
Why GTA Online Does Not Support Cross-Platform Play:
"We absolutely love being able to push the boundaries of what can be done in a dynamic online world like GTA Online, but certain things are not technically possible right now and this is one of them. Unfortunately, there is no technical way that we could enable players to play in the same lobby with one another across different types or generations of game consoles. It is also impossible to enable PC players to join console-based lobbies."


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