For years, Red Dead Online has carried the label of a missed opportunity. Players often point to the game’s reduced updates and Rockstar’s focus on other projects as proof that the online western never reached its full potential.

Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick clearly disagrees.

Speaking during a recent interview, Zelnick defended both the Red Dead franchise and its online component. He argued that the commercial results alone make it difficult to call the project anything but a success.

The executive highlighted the continued strength of the series, noting that Red Dead Redemption 2 has sold tens of millions of copies and remains one of the best-selling games ever released. From Take-Two’s perspective, those figures paint a very different picture from the one often discussed by disappointed fans.

Zelnick also addressed the constant comparisons between Red Dead and Grand Theft Auto. According to him, the western series would be viewed as one of the industry’s biggest properties if it did not share a home with Rockstar’s even larger crime franchise.

That comparison has followed Red Dead for years. While GTA Online evolved into a live-service giant, Red Dead Online never received the same level of long-term support. Many players still believe the game had room to grow with new roles, heists, and major content expansions.

Yet the publisher appears focused on the bigger picture. Strong sales, years of player activity, and continued interest in the franchise are enough for Take-Two to consider the project a win.

Whether that changes the minds of frustrated cowboys is another question. For many fans, success on a balance sheet is not the same as seeing a game’s potential fully realised.

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