Hindsight is always 20/20, and looking back, Red Dead Redemption 2 was always primed to be a massive hit. Taking the sheer scope of Grand Theft Auto 5 and applying it to a Western setting oozed potential.
Of course, the game swiftly became a huge success, with a huge player base still playing now. Seven years ago, in the immediate reaction to the first major reveal trailer, there were plenty of naysayers, and some of their predictions, rounded up by GameRoll, have aged about as well as a pint of milk out in the American frontier.
The departure of Leslie Benzies, a former president of Rockstar North and producer on the Grand Theft Auto games, was considered a bad omen. "The departure of Leslie Benzies from Rockstar is really going to affect game quality," reads one Reddit comment. "He was a very influential force in how well Rockstar games turned out."
Benzies has shipped one game since leaving Rockstar, and it was MindsEye earlier this year. Let's just say it doesn't exemplify anyone.
A perceived decline in GTA 5's DLC also played a part. "GTA V follow-up DLC was uninspired, this trailer also seems uninspired. A company can't lose its best developer and still put out the same level of product," says another Redditor.
Another comment describes Arthur Morgan as "completely tasteless," expressing disappointment with this initial footage. I wonder if they still think that, or if they've now warmed to ol' Arthur through his exploits in the Van der Linde gang.
There was always a chance Red Dead 2 simply wouldn't live up to the hype, just as there's some likelihood Grand Theft Auto 6 won't either. But these comments have proven it's unwise to bet against Rockstar, because it’s the internet, where nothing gets forgotten.
