After days of teasing, Rockstar has confirmed that a sequel to its 2010 western sandbox Read Dead Redemption will arrive next fall.
While the unveiling of Red Dead Redemption 2 was always something of an inevitability given the 14 million global sales its predecessor racked up, it's interesting to see Rockstar talk up a "brand new online multiplayer experience" in its first official announcement.
It's a move that all but confirms the veteran developer is keen to build on the progress made by GTA V's ever-expanding and popular GTA Online mode.
According to Macquarie Securities analyst Ben Schachter, "We also expect the game to have features similar to GTA Online, which has been positive for monetizing GTA V three years beyond its release."
He added that Rockstar could also look to capitalize on the sequel by releasing it alongside a remastered version of Redemption, and might even be working on a virtual reality experience for PlayStation VR.
"Red Dead 2 will release in Fall 2017 for PS4 and Xbox One, and similar to GTA V, will likely release on PC early the following year," added Schachter. "We currently expect 12M units in the September 2017 quarter."