Red Dead Redemption 2 Battle Royale is apparently going to happen. A leak circulated back in February suggested that it was being worked on, a Wall Street research firm analyst made the prediction that it was on its way, and it certainly seems like something that Rockstar would do in its continued push towards online multiplayer post-GTA 5. As a fan of Battle Royale games, I’m interested in how Rockstar will approach this rumored mode, and while I may know literally nothing about what the notoriously secretive developer has up its sleeve, I do know one thing: Epic Games should be worried.
Red Dead Redemption 2 Battle Royale would be a real contender to Fortnite‘s position atop the throne, and while Epic Games may have fended off PUBG, it’s going to be difficult to take down Rockstar’s highly anticipated sequel. Here are a bunch of reasons why RDR 2 could wind up killing Fortnite:
Red Dead Redemption 2 is Going to Be a Phenomenon
Rockstar could stealth release Red Dead Redemption 2 tomorrow with zero publicity and it would still be a blockbuster hit. There is nothing that is going to stop RDR 2 from being a phenomenon; Rockstar could limit progression solely to unlocking new missions in loot boxes and everyone would still buy it.
RDR 2 is going to be a bank-rolling success, and the only way its potential battle royale mode isn’t going to follow suit is if Rockstar half-asses its implementation. Considering that battle royale is the most lucrative multiplayer mode out there right now, it seems unlikely that this will be the case, and Red Dead Redemption 2‘s huge amount of sales will lead to a wide audience of players venturing into its online component. This presents a very real threat to Fortnite, as while it is an incredibly popular free-to-play game with a constantly expanding audience, RDR 2 will undoubtedly steal the spotlight from all of its competitors.
More Room for Growth
Grand Theft Auto 5 has raked in that much cash for Rockstar that the game is still receiving elaborate updates to this day, over four years since it was first released. Though Fortnite‘s V-Bucks may be earning Epic Games a pretty penny, it won’t be able to compete with the dough Red Dead Redemption 2 is going to earn, and this constant influx of dollars will ensure that Rockstar will have much more room for growth when it comes to building on its reported Red Dead Redemption 2 Battle Royale mode.
Red Dead Redemption 2 will have an expansive open-world on which to stage its Battle Royale, effectively giving the game a bunch of maps within a pre-existing map. This means that Red Dead Redemption 2 Battle Royale could be rolled out across various locations across its lifetime that will have already been developed, giving it more longevity in the process.
Fortnite currently takes place on one map, and while this simplicity is definitely part of its appeal, Rockstar being able to swiftly grow out RDR 2 Battle Royale will leave its peers in the dust. Aside from suddenly amassing the budget of the gaming equivalent of The Avengers, there’s not much that can be done by Epic Games to make Fortnite compete in this department.
Evolution of the Battle Royale Formula
Fortnite is an excellent spin on the battle royale genre, with its quickfire crafting adding a whole new element of strategy to proceedings. While it does offer a more accessible (and cheaper) alternative to PUBG, it doesn’t exactly take huge strides in brand new directions, something we’re more likely to see if Rockstar gets its hands on the genre.
As previously mentioned, Rockstar has the budget to greatly expand on what we’ve come to expect from our battle royale games, and if RDR Online is going to be anything like GTA Online, it’s probably going to get more than a little ridiculous. Sure, in Fortnite you can swiftly build a set of stairs and shotgun someone from over the top of it, but can you ride a zebra into enemy territory and take down a squad with a bow and arrow? Not right now you can’t, though this is definitely within Rockstar’s remit if GTA Online or the previous Red Dead Redemption multiplayer is anything to go by.
Fortnite is going to remain hugely popular — at least for the time being — and its shelf life was always dependant on when the major publishers would start throwing their hat into the ring and coming up with their own ideas. There are fewer companies in the gaming industry bigger than Rockstar, so if the studio is planning to release a Red Dead Redemption 2 battle royale mode, it’s undoubtedly bad news for every other battle royale game on the market, including Fortnite.
