Is The Video Game Industry On A Collision Course With Failure?

As a takeaway message, think about Red Dead Redemption 2. Rockstar are aiming to make one of the biggest and most expansive games of all time, where a big selling point is the removal of structure and defined goals.

Developed across a staggering EIGHT YEARS and for the first time comprising all of Rockstar's studios under the banner of a "Rockstar Production", RDR2 will specialise in a new quest system promoting endless interaction. Missions and content are generated based on a variety of dynamic factors like character morality, clothing, geographical location and even cleanliness.

All of this, and we've got next to nothing on the gameplay side. Their "Gameplay Trailer" highlighted a range of ancillary activities and mini-games that likely won't be the main draw for the majority, but the game's scope and scale are unprecedented. Is this a corporately mandated, technologically-focused expansion of graphics and immersion, or something that's going to altogether enrich the interactive, mechanical side of things?

Being Rockstar are one of the most lucrative AND influential companies in the business (and the open-world genre is part of why we ended up here anyway), depending on the split between those elements in the final product, the answer will likely shape the future of gaming itself.