Red Dead Redemption Shouldn't Have Worked

The End Result

The pressure to deliver one of the greatest games ever made sadly and inevitably comes at the cost of workplace health; that remains unacceptable a decade later. As everyone knows, the game we all got in May 2010 was a smash hit, widely hailed by both critics and its player-base as one of the best games of the year.

Its powerfully emotional story, deep open world design and phenomenal recreation of the Old West all came together in a superb way. Considering how badly it could have turned out in terms of technical performance and broken gameplay systems, Red Dead Redemption remains a fantastic achievement for the time it was released.

It shipped fifteen million copies by 2017 and while it was somewhat overshadowed by Grand Theft Auto V three years later, the game remains one of the defining releases of the seventh generation. Whether the developers themselves felt somewhat vindicated for the toil they put in is anyone's guess, considering the domineering policies of management.

The fact that it all came together after so many years of fraught development speaks to the passion and commitment Rockstar has to every one of its titles. However, the darker side of its development would continue into Red Dead Redemption 2 seven years later, with equal criticism directed at overworked staff and controlling managers.

With Grand Theft Auto now making more profits through its online offering than its meaty single-player campaign, the direction for the company now looks shaky. Add to that their star writer Dan Houser leaving the developer in February 2020, and you have to wonder whether we'll see a story-driven game as deep and involving - or as unique a title - emerge from the studio again.