Rockstar might be teasing new games with cryptic images

By Giovanni Colantonio February 28, 2020

Rockstar Games uploaded cryptic new art to its website, which has fans speculating about Rockstar’s next projects.

The images are found through the menu icon in the top left corner. Every time the page refreshes, a new background image appears on the site’s navigation menu. One of the images is just a big neon Rockstar logo, but the other two are puzzling fans.

One image has the Red Dead Redemption 2 studio’s logo over a red, white, and blue backdrop. The picture contains cryptic text filled with violent phrases. The word “bullying” appears, which should set off alarm bells for longtime fans. Bully is a Rockstar game from 2006, which has long been rumored for a sequel.

Rockstar Teaser Image 2 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

It’s possible the image could hint at a new Bully game, but there were rumors that the proposed sequel was canceled last year.

The second image is even harder to decode. The picture shows a golden robot, similar to those in the classic sci-fi film Metropolis, surrounded by champagne and hugging the Rockstar logo. Aesthetically, it’s entirely different than anything in the studio’s catalog.

Rockstar Teaser Image — Rockstar

The image could be hinting at a brand new IP for Rockstar, which has rarely dipped into science-fiction. Rockstar remains quiet about its upcoming projects as it continues to support Red Dead Online, which recently came under attack from two-headed skeletons. In the meantime, the studio will launch a somewhat incomplete Complete Edition of Grand Theft Auto IV in March, which removes the game’s online features.

The strategy isn’t far off from how the company first teased Red Dead Redemption 2 in 2016. The Rockstar Twitter account posted a piece of art ahead of the game’s official announcement. Afterward, Rockstar posted an all-red logo similar to what was released here. The company has employed similar tactics to reveal Grand Theft Auto V updates as well.

The teases come at critical time for the studio as Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser is leaving the studio in March. The announcement left many questions about how Houser’s departure might impact future games. If the teasers are for new games, it doesn’t look like Rockstar will slow down in 2020.

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Giovanni Colantonio

Section Editor, Gaming

Giovanni is a writer and video producer focusing on happenings in the video game industry. He has contributed stories to…

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