'Red Dead Redemption 2' release date: Analyst predicts sequel will surpass original in big ways

Although Rockstar Games has only shown a preview of "Red Dead Redemption 2," Macquarie Securities analyst Ben Schachter is confident the sequel will be a sweeping success.

The expert said via Game Industry that the long-awaited sequel will sell 12 million copies, a couple of million shy of the accumulated number of sales the original had five years after it was released.

This suggests that "Red Dead Redemption 2" is poised to surpass its predecessor in terms of sales performance with that number only coming in during the second fiscal year (running July to September) of Rockstar's parent company Take-Two Interactive

Schachter based his prediction in the reception of the "Red Dead Redemption 2" announcement made by Rockstar online just a couple of weeks back.

"Notably, in its first hour, the announcement received 54K likes and 61K retweets on Twitter, 152K likes and 52K comments on Facebook, and 65K likes on Instagram," Schachter said. "We think this demonstrates significant pent-up demand and interest for the sequel," he continued.

If Schachter's prediction is correct, "Red Dead Redemption 2" will definitely make history not only in the franchise itself but within Rockstar as a whole.

The sequel, which was rumored for years before it was made official, is expected to be released with an online mode, as Rockstar teased "a brand new online multiplayer experience" for the game.

In other related news, "Red Dead Redemption 2" is not expected to be released to the Nintendo Switch, at least according to Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter.

"I would say the chances of that are exceedingly poor," he told GamingBolt. "I can't remember any game other than—there was a GTA made for the DS, which came out in 2009—I'd be really surprised if they wasted their effort to port anything for Nintendo," he added.

Pachter believes that Nintendo has already "wandered too far away from the mainstream for most of the publishers" and this is believed to be what is happening with the company's new console as well.

With that said, it will be hard to believe "Red Dead Redemption 2" will be playable in the Nintendo Switch.