(Reuters) - "Red Dead Redemption 2," the highly awaited Western adventure videogame, made over $725 million in worldwide retail sales during its opening weekend, driving shares of game developer Take-Two 12 percent higher on Tuesday.
Take-Two's Rockstar Games studio, best known for "Grand Theft Auto," said its latest "Red Dead" title was the most pre-ordered full game ever on the PlayStation Network.
"Red Dead Redemption 2," which launched to rave reviews last week, is set in 1899 and follows Arthur Morgan and his gang of outlaws as they fight their way across America following a botched robbery.
The launch of "Red Dead," originally slated for the fall of 2017, has been delayed two times, and has hit Take-Two Interactive Software Inc's financial projections and stock price.
Take-Two shares were last up 11.9 percent at $125.05 in premarket trading on Tuesday.
"Rockstar has produced another massive entertainment hit, we're not surprised," said Mike Hickey, a financial analyst at Benchmark Co.
"Red Dead" has sold-in over 21 million units worldwide, including over 16 million units of its first installation, Take-Two said.
(Reporting by Vibhuti Sharma and Arjun Panchadar in Bengaluru; Editing by Sai Sachin Ravikumar)
