Dan Houser discussed his projects with Lex Friedman during a recent podcast. The Rockstar Games veteran recalled the pressure he felt during the development of Red Dead Redemption 2.
The creators of RDR 2 fell behind schedule and exceeded the budget. Houser didn't go into details, but made it clear that the game couldn't be put together for a long time and that the developer was beginning to doubt:
I think with Red Dead Redemption 2 we were behind schedule. We were so over budget that I didn't want to think about it. And I was making a game about a cowboy [...] and it wasn't coming together. A lot of people doubted me at that point; it's not that pleasant. So, I think it was a lot of pressure.
Dan Houser also noted the team's contribution to the project:
The cowboy setting, in my opinion, is great because it gives the game a certain mythical seriousness that you sometimes can't create something in a modern setting [...] I think the West and all the themes associated with it are really suitable for [creating a serious mood game]. Therefore, I think, [the setting] and the shootings were fantastic, and the horses were incredible. So, I think there was a combination of technical knowledge, a very, very strong team and really strong material.