Over the past week there has been an unusual flurry of Red Dead Redemption 2 news, finally from official sources.
Between a new trailer, new screenshots, demo impressions and an interview, it's clear that Rockstar is dialling up publicity efforts for the game to the maximum.
With so much to work through, sometimes the details slip by players - such as Rockstar confirming multiple special editions.
In the wake of the third trailer's publication, Rockstar Games shared several batches of screenshots across their social media platforms and the Newswire. While all images were accompanied by a lick of flavor text, everyone rushed to painstakingly analyze the images themselves, and thus, aside from a few folk who actually read the descriptions, everyone missed a juicy little detail.
Stay tuned for more Red Dead Redemption 2 info next month including first details about the game’s special editions and more.
"Special Editions", eh?
While it is customary for popular AAA titles to ship with not just one Collector's Edition alongside the base game, and instead with multiple editions with various pricing, Rockstar never really jumped on this boat. Red Dead Redemption had no special editions save for a GOTY edition that contained Undead Nightmare and Grand Theft Auto 5 only had the one Collector's Edition.
While we don't expect Red Dead Redemption 2 to go overboard with various editions like Assassin's Creed games usually do, knowing there will be two or more non-standard editions opens up a lot of possibilities. We previously covered what items might go into a potential Red Dead Redemption 2 collector's edition a long time ago and it seems that maybe some of those concepts will see the light of day.
Your most common special edition format includes the game, a CD with the soundtrack, an art book and a statue. Some games toss in some special DLC or in-game items as well, or a fold-out map.
That said, some games go above and beyond with their special editions. Splinter Cell: Blacklist had an actual remote-controlled airplane,and one of Mass Effect: Andromeda's editions had a remote-controlled Nomad.
Some editions have wearable goods. One of Watch_Dogs' special editions had the protagonist's iconic mask and hat included and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt's collector's edition included Geralt's wolf pendant. Others, again, have replicas of in-game items such as weapons instead of statues of characters.
Red Dead Redemption 2's rarely explored Wild West setting gives Rockstar the chance to do something really unique with the game's special editions. A replica of one of the in-game cowboy hats coupled with a bandana would be the best choice for wearable goodies, for example. While a replica Cattleman revolver would be impressive, it might make availability a tricky question.
Rockstar promised further information on these various editions in the coming month, so stay tuned for our coverage.
