While information on Red Dead Redemption 2 remains scarce, yet another method to pre-order this game (that we still know barely anything about) will be hitting retailers near you come February. A RDR subreddit user recently posted an image showing a never seen before pre-order reservation card which offers prospective players a new way to grab a copy of RDR2 prior to release.
With in-store and online pre-orders both having been live for some time now, you might be wondering what the point of a new pre-order option that isn't special editions could be. Well, the main advantage of these reservation cards is that they aren't full price pre-orders. Each card costs a whopping $1 and reserves you a copy of the game ensuring that stock doesn't run out before you get it.
Naturally, you'll have to pay the remaining $58.99 when picking up your copy, so don't mistake this for an opportunity to grab one of 2017's most anticipated AAA titles for just a buck. This offer is seemingly geared towards a very specific niche, namely those players who absolutely want a physical edition of the game, but don't want to drop the full sixty bucks just now. Since digital stocks never run out, it's not like you wouldn't be able to play the game if you don't reserve or pre-order it before retail versions are sold out (and even then, stocks would quickly be replenished).
Sure, there's a bonus $5 Target gift card as further incentive, but that really seems like grasping here. At this point in time anyone pre-ordering will be doing so based solely on the one cinematic trailer release so far and also the high quality of past Rockstar releases - there's pretty much no concrete information about the game just yet. In any case, these reservation cards will be going on sale on the 5th of February.
This sale date has lead to a new wave of speculation regarding when we'll get new information, and possibly a new trailer for Red Dead Redemption 2. Due to the seemingly high emphasis the marketing of this game is getting, some fans have theorized that Rockstar might be showing off a trailer at the Superbowl.
Superbowl commercials are often a massive highlight of the event for fans of both games and movies. Due to the massive viewership that the Superbowl gets, these commercials are guaranteed to have enormous reach and are therefore both coveted and extremely expensive. While games getting Superbowl commercials are not unheard of, they are less common than movie trailers, as large Hollywood productions usually have greater budgets dedicated to marketing.
However, considering the immense financial success of GTA 5, and the kind of media attention directed toward Red Dead Redemption 2, Rockstar has both the means and motive to secure one of those expensive Superbowl slots. It's possible that they will release a full-length trailer by conventional means, as well as a shortened cut for the Superbowl to cut costs. That said, it's also possible they'll go all out and show a full-length trailer at the event.
Considering that this would coincide with our recent "when will we get new information prediction" based on the fact that the Take-Two investor call will also take place in February, the chances that a press release is incoming seem high. We think some new info about RDR2 would definitely be a boost for Rockstar and Take-Two, and a commercial at the freaking Superbowl would give Take-Two's next game a massive amount of exposure, meaning they would surely (at least in the short term) benefit from such a move.
In any case, if you prefer this reservation card system to other pre-order methods, keep an eye out for them starting next Sunday.
