Take-Two Interactive’s CEO and chairman Strauss Zelnick has backed the pricing strategy for the forthcoming Switch and PS4 ports of Red Dead Redemption, as reported by IGN. News of the game’s expansion was unveiled by Rockstar Games, a subsidiary of Take-Two, on Monday.
Red Dead Redemption is set to make its debut on Switch and PS4 on August 17, with a physical version set for release on October 13.
Priced at $50 / £40, the package will also include the coveted Undead Nightmare DLC. Take-Two’s decision to price the game at this point was addressed when IGN asked Zelnick about the rationale, especially considering the title’s existing availability on Xbox via backward compatibility, priced at $30 / £25 (with the Undead Nightmare DLC available for $10 / £7).
Zelnick’s response was, «That’s just what we believe is the commercially accurate price for it.»
Take-Two’s EVP of finance, Hannah Sage, underscored the value proposition of the Switch and PS4 editions, both of which include the Undead Nightmare expansion. Zelnick noted, «Undead Nightmare was a great standalone game in its own right when it was originally released, so we feel like it’s a great bundle for the first time, and certainly a great value for consumers.»
Rockstar’s official statement on Monday delineated the offering: «Experience the epic Western adventure Red Dead Redemption and its groundbreaking zombie-horror companion, Undead Nightmare, as both games come to the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 for the very first time in a single package. In a new conversion by Double Eleven Studios, the Switch and PS4 versions bring the two classic experiences together again for both new players and original fans to enjoy across modern consoles, including backward compatibility with the PlayStation 5.»
Red Dead Redemption and Undead Nightmare are already available on Xbox platforms, including Xbox Series X|S via backwards compatibility.