Stop us if you have heard this line before, but Rockstar Games is pushing back the release date on one of its most anticipated franchise titles. Today, Rockstar announced it was officially pushing back the release date for Red Dead Redemption 2 for a spring 2018 launch on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

“We are very sorry for any disappointment this delay causes, but we are firm believers in delivering a game only when it is ready,” a statement from Rockstar said. “We are really excited to bring you more details about the game this summer. In the meantime, please enjoy this selection of new screenshots from the world of Red Dead Redemption 2.”

Oh, and how about those screenshots? They are a thing of beauty that shows the attention to detail Rockstar Games is working to nail down for when the game is actually released. Observe…

The Red Dead series was launched in 2010 on the PlayStation 2 and original Xbox and has seen updates on each system’s successor since. Red Dead Redemption 2 was originally announced on October 18, 2016 with the intent on having the game released to the public at some point in 2017. It immediately became one of the most anticipated games of the year, but now it will instantly become one of the most anticipated games of 2018.

While it may suck for fans of the series to have to wait a little longer for the next title in the franchise to be released, the wait can sometimes be worth it. Ask any fan of the Legend of Zelda franchise if they are happy with the final product that was Breath of the Wild, a game initially scheduled to be sold on the Nintendo WiiU and ended up being a launch title for the Nintendo Switch, and the answers will undoubtedly affirm the wait was worth it. However, there are just as many negative sides to the constant delays as there are positives. Right, Doom fans?

Rockstar has a history of delaying games back, much to the angst of its fans. One of the more recent delays Rockstar Games has had to confront was the release of Grand Theft Auto 5, which led to the company having to confront various conspiracy theories about ulterior motives. Some have thought the company was intentionally holding off on releasing new titles to take advantage of upcoming system upgrades in the pipeline from Sony and/or Microsoft. Both companies have recently updated their main hardware and could potentially be at work on their next home consoles. There is nothing wrong from a business standpoint of trying to maximize the product while also perfecting the game to showcase the upgraded hardware, but that does not appear to be the case at this time.

And there is no word on Rockstar Games bringing Red Dead Redemption 2 to the Nintendo Switch at this time either, so that is no reason for a delay either. It may be that Rockstar Games wants to release a game as solid as possible when it is released rather than have a watered down version of what could have been.

[Rockstar Games]

About Kevin McGuire

Contributor to Athlon Sports and The Comeback. Previously contributed to NBCSports.com. Host of the Locked On Nittany Lions Podcast. FWAA member and Philadelphia-area resident.