'Red Dead Redemption 2' Sales Outpace First Game's Lifetime Total In Just Eight Days

“Red Dead Redemption 2” was widely expected to be one of the biggest video games of this holiday season, if not the outright king of the release schedule. Take-Two Interactive (TTWO), the parent company of developer Rockstar Games, published its second quarter earnings report on Wednesday, confirming that expectation.

In the first eight days after its Oct. 26 release date, “Red Dead Redemption 2” outsold its predecessor’s lifetime total, according to Take-Two. In other words, “Red Dead Redemption 2” sold more in eight days than the 2010 original did in eight years. At the time of the publication of the earnings report, the new sequel had sold 17 million copies.

That is no small feat, given that the first “Red Dead Redemption” was a highly acclaimed and popular title. Take-Two touted the sequel’s financial success, claiming the game had the “biggest opening weekend in retail sell-through across all entertainment releases.” “Red Dead Redemption 2” made over $725 million during its launch weekend.

Despite overwhelmingly positive reviews and high sales, “Red Dead Redemption 2” was not without controversy. Much of the discourse surrounding the game in the weeks prior to launch centered on allegations of worker mistreatment at Rockstar. A Kotaku investigation found that many Rockstar employees felt pressure to work overtime in order to finish the game on time, without additional pay.

One of Rockstar’s studios in the U.K. told employees overtime would not be mandatory going forward following criticism of the company.

The success of “Red Dead Redemption 2” added onto the massive results posted by Rockstar’s other flagship property, “Grand Theft Auto.” Despite being released five years ago, “Grand Theft Auto V” has had a long tail thanks to a constantly evolving online multiplayer component. It is one of the most profitable video games ever made.

Overall, Take-Two reported a net revenue increase of 11 percent on a year-over-year basis. The gaming publisher’s quarterly success, which was also bolstered by licensed games from the NBA and WWE, prompted an increase in its outlook for the fiscal year 2019.

“Looking ahead, we have a strong development pipeline across our labels and are exceedingly well positioned for long-term growth and margin expansion,” CEO Strauss Zelnick said.

Take-Two stock rose by more than 3 percent in premarket trading on Thursday, before falling by roughly the same amount just before market close.