Rockstar Games has most recently proven its intent to make the publisher’s games last as long as they possibly can.Grand Theft Auto 5in particular, one of the best-selling video games of all time, will have its swan song on PS5 and Xbox Series X when its released in 2021. Much of this is to do withGrand Theft Auto Online’s profits, but in general, spreading the wealth of Rockstar Games as far as possible before the next iteration makes a lot of sense. The same could occur withRed Dead Redemption 2, though certainly not to the same extent asGrand Theft Auto 5.
Considering bothGrand Theft Auto 5has already been confirmed to release with an enhanced version on PS5, it’s not far off to consider aRed Dead Redemption 2enhanced port is on the way as well. The truth is thatRed Dead Onlinemay not be the lucrative online experience thatGrand Theft Auto Onlineis for Rockstar, but the publisher will likely still want to spread the wealth. There are a ton of rumors and leaks that could hint towards this being true in the near future.
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One leak in particular gained traction recently when an anonymous poster on 4chan stated thataRed Dead Redemptionremake was in the cards for next generation. On its own, this rumor like many other 4chan “leaks” didn’t amount to anything considering there was no proof or backing to it. But since then, new evidence has appeared that means it cannot be ruled out While the initial pitch by the user was for a potentialRed Dead Redemptionremake, there was some interesting evidence presented about a potentialRed Dead Redemption 2port to next-gen consoles.
There wereseveral Amazon UK listings posted from Rockstar Games, six in total for both PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. All of these were posted and simultaneously taken down on Wednesday, June 10, the day before the PS5 reveal event. On June 11, Rockstar Games announced thatGrand Theft Auto 5and a standalone version ofGrand Theft Auto Onlinewould release on PS5 in 2021. Taking that into consideration, and the fact that both of these games have been confirmed for Xbox Series X as well as PS5, that would mean potentially four of the six Amazon links could be attributed to this announcement (if not just two, as the SKUs could just be physical releases). Also worth noting that these enhanced ports don’t apply to the PC version of the game, and neither would such listings. That leaves at least two listings unaccounted for, without an announcement to attribute them to and plenty to speculate on.
Sony’s Partnership with Rockstar Games
Phantom listings on Amazon aren’t exactly solid proof, but it is an interesting find worth speculating on. Those extra listings could be in reference to aRed Dead Redemption 2enhanced port of some kind.Red Dead Redemption’s prequel was no slouch in terms of sales, consideringRed Dead Redemption 2is still in the top 15 best selling games of all time. Plus, regardless of whether or notRed Dead Onlineisn’t the microtransactions profit giant that Rockstar Games may have wanted it to be, the mode is consistently receiving updates. Assuming the game hasa similar long-term content roadmap likeGrand Theft Auto Onlinedoes, it’d make total sense forRed Dead Redemption 2to get the same treatment on next-gen consoles.
It’s also important to note the special partnership that was formed in 2016 between Rockstar Games and Sony, just a couple years prior toRed Dead Redemption 2’s release. It’s why PS4 players are getting a free $1,000,000 each month inGrand Theft Auto Onlineas well, in preparation for the move to the enhanced version in 2021. ConsideringGrand Theft Auto 5, a game that was first released in 2013, is getting a another re-release on PS5 and Xbox Series X, an enhancedRed Dead Redemption 2port isn’t completely out of the realm of possibility. If fans are willing to believe aRed Dead Redemptionremaster could happen usingRed Dead Redemption 2’s assets and engine, then a port seems almost certain.
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Only One Reason Why a Port is Unlikely
If anything, the only thing barring aRed Dead Redemption 2port would bea genuineRed Dead Redemptionremake. The groundwork has been laid byRed Dead Redemption 2, which put in the extra time to create the environmental layout of New Austin despite little story content taking place there. There’s a clear desire to return to New Austin in some way, whether that’s throughRed Dead Onlineor for aRed Dead Redemptionremake remains to be seen. It’s more plausible that this was simply an extension forRed Dead Online’s release more than anything else, but it does pose an interesting question of whether or not those assets may have been reproduced inRed Dead Redemption 2for another purpose.
Assuming that were true, there’d be no reason to pour assets into portingRed Dead Redemption 2on next-gen consoles if aRed Dead Redemptionremake was already in process. That being said, Rockstar full on remakingRed Dead Redemptionhas been rumored for a few years now. Considering the game itself hasn’t seen a port to PC or even current-gen consoles, there’s at least reason to believe it’s coming. But until then,considering how theRed Dead Onlinecommunity continues to thrivejust as much asGrand Theft Auto Onlinedoes, aRed Dead Redemption 2enhanced port shouldn’t be too far off, and that’s even if the remake proves true. In short, players should expect more of the wild western in the future.
Red Dead Redemption 2is available now on PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One
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