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Have you ever spent a really long time on a project? If so, you’ve got something in common with Rockstar Games. The gaming company has a reputation for their long production times. For example, Grant Theft Auto V came out in 2013, and the sequel won’t be released until 2025.

Red Dead Redemption, the studio’s western franchise, has had some long waits of its own. Red Dead Redemption was released in 2010, and Red Dead Redemption 2 was not ready until 2018. If you’re wondering why it took so long to make the game, it’s because Rockstar Games was perfecting every small detail. In some cases, this meant spending years on a single scene.

During a Red Dead Redemption panel at Florida Supercon, Arthur Morgan voice actor Roger Clark opened up about the long production process. “It took us five years to do Red Dead 2. It was a long time. It would be crazy, like some scenes would take years to complete. The shot list was so long, we were just chipping away at it."

According to Clark, this would surprise engineers who visited the studio.

“Someone would come in after a couple of years, and they would look at me or Rob [Wiethoff] and go, 'Oh, I remember you. We worked on a video game a couple of years ago, didn't we?' And we would always say, 'Yeah, it's actually the same game.' And they would be like, 'No way. You've been here all this time?' And I would go, 'Yeah, I have. Not only is it the same game, but it's the same scene.' They would be like, 'Are you serious?' Then the animators would help us figure out what it was we did two or three years beforehand. And then we would finish the scene. Thankfully, most of you couldn't tell.”

Consider that the next time you get stuck on a particular project. 

How to play the western game series Red Dead Redemption in order (release or chronological).