Take-Two CEO Defends Red Dead Redemption Port Price

Take-Two Interactive's CEO isn't having any of gamers' complaints.

Company CEO Strauss Zelnick recently described the $50 price for Rockstar Games' Red Dead Redemption port for the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch as accurate following the backlash surrounding it.

The gaming community was previously expecting Rockstar and Take-Two to remaster or even remake Red Dead Redemption due to their love for the game.

Taking Out 'Redemption' In Red Dead Redemption

Zelnick, in response to IGN's inquiry about the pricing of Red Dead Redemption's PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch port, said that its $50 price tag is fair and accurate for the time.

"That's just what we believe is the commercially accurate price for it," Zelnick responded.

Take-Two's EVP of Finance, Hannah Sage, also agreed with Zelnick's statement. She said the $50 covers the base Red Dead Redemption game and its (standalone) expansion pack, Undead Nightmare. For those unaware, Undead Nightmare puts protagonist John Marston and his family in the middle of a zombie outbreak in the Wild West.

Zelnick said that Undead Nightmare's inclusion was a good reason to charge people $50 when asked if the pricing was due to it being included in the port. "We feel like it's a great bundle for the first time, and certainly a great value for consumers," Zelnick added.

Anyone can purchase the game digitally when it goes on sale on Aug. 17. Those wishing to buy its physical disc version will have to wait until Oct. 13 to do so.

The Gaming Community's Reaction

The gaming community did not receive Zelnick's answer well, despite its love for Red Dead Redemption, as evidenced by its Metacritic scores. YouTubers, such as Yong Yea, Optimus, and penguinz0, criticized Take-Two's decision to charge $50 for its Red Dead Redemption port to the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch.

These YouTubers and other gamers like them argue that the companies are charging $10 less for a newly released AAA game for the same game they launched in 2010. To be specific, Rockstar's Red Dead Redemption PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch port will have the same frame rate and resolution when the video game developer released it in 2010.

Rockstar Games' video announcement of its Red Dead Redemption port wasn't well received either due to the price Take-Two advertised. Through an extension that reveals how many dislikes a YouTube video received, Rockstar's video had 35,000 likes and around 111,630 dislikes.

The comments to the video weren't ones filled with excitement for the release - many are disappointed, frustrated, and even angry with the pricing.

Many of them are complaining that despite the announcement, Rockstar has yet to port Red Dead Redemption to the PC, something the company didn't work on since 2010. By contrast, LA Noire and Bully, games Rockstar developed and published in 2011 and 2006, respectively, are available for purchase on its online store.

The only Red Dead Redemption games Rockstar is offering online through its own online store and third-party digital distributors like Valve's Steam and Epic Games are Read Dead Redemption 2 and Red Dead Online.