The weeks leading up to the release of the highly anticipatedRed Dead Redemption 2have been filled with controversy, and it doesn’t seem to be going away any time soon. Following the debate surroundingRockstar’s “Crunch Culture”it now seems that some smaller game stores across the country may not even receive copies of the upcoming Western until November, meaning potential losses for the smaller, independent game stores due to the high demand for the game.
Independently owned game stores across the country received some grim news just a week away from the launch ofRed Dead Redemption 2, for it seems that they will likely not be getting copies of the game until possibly November, with no explanation from Rockstar Games or Take-Two Interactive outside of a potential supply issue. At the time of writing, it appears that many small game stores, along with the game rental service GameFly, will not get the game on time leaving many fans who pre-orderedRed Dead Redemption 2through these smaller outlets disappointed.
Several different small-store owners speculated on the reasons behind the delay, ranging from distrust of small retailers to a shortage of discs. Daniel Mastin, of Video Games New York, believes that Rockstar and Take-Two worry that small stores will break street date and accidentally let the game out early. However, Derek Holland, a video game store manager in Colorado, thinks that it could be due to a shortage of discs due to the possibility ofRed Dead Redemption 2beingprinted on two discs.
Regardless of the reason, many fans who pre-ordered a physical copy of the game through smaller retailers will either have to wait until the shipments come in or buy the game digitally and download it on launch day. For those who want to have it digitally, they will be able topre-load the gamethis weekend so it will be ready when the game launches next Friday. However, until Rockstar or Take-Two Interactive give an update on the supply situation, small-town game store buyers will be waiting a bit longer to take to the Wild West.
Red Dead Redemption 2launches October 26 for PS4 and Xbox One.
