While nothing has been officially announced yet, Rockstar likely has plans for the next chapter of theRed Dead Redemptionseries. Just like with the first one,Red Dead Redemption 2was a massive success for the studio, even if the multiplayer was cut short. And although the studio has put all its focus on deliveringGTA 6, Wild West fans are eagerly anticipating what comes next for the Van Der Linde gang. But, even if it might be fun to continue exploring those characters,Red Dead Redemptionmay want to break away from Rockstar tradition a bit.
Like almost every single franchise before it,theRed Dead Redemptionduologyhas numbered each entry. There is really nothing wrong with doing that, as it tells players the order they released and how the studio wanted the story to be told. However, in this next chapter, Rockstar might want to do things a bit differently. Instead of following standard naming conventions, it may want to consider naming them after years instead, and possibly abandon the Marston-centric adventures in the process.
Exploringthe Wild West ofRed Dead Redemptionhas been thrilling so far, but the franchise may be running out of time to do so. No one quite knows the exact date that the era ended, however, many believe that it was somewhere between 1900 and 1916. And sinceRed Dead Redemptionis set in 1911, the series does not have much further to go.
Because of that, ifRed Dead Redemptionwants to continue exploring the Wild West, then it needs to go back in time.Red Dead Redemption 2may have done just that, but it too still happens at the tail-end of the era. Plus, it explored one of the more interesting times forRDR’s Van der Linde gang, with there not seemingly being a perfect follow-up story to tell. So, instead of forging ahead with the current series trajectory, it may be time to shake things up a bit.
There seem to be two great ways forRed Dead Redemptionto continue past the second one. For starters, it might be time for it to move on fromthe popular John Marston-centric talesit has been telling. Players have now gotten to see the Van der Linde gang at two pivotal moments in their story, which means it feels like the perfect time to give it a rest. The Wild West is far greater than that gang and Rockstar should show players that. IfGTAcan follow new characters with each entry, there is seemingly no reason this series cannot do the same.
Along with that, the next chapter should not follow the classic naming conventions that franchises have used for years. If the studio is moving on from Marston, then it needs to make that pretty apparent in the name. Because it feels like it is committed totheRed Dead Redemptionbanner, the best way to do that would be by replacing the number with the year.
Players could fight their way through the beginning of the era inRed Dead Redemption1870, witness a Billy the Kid-inspired adventure inRed Dead Redemption1881, or simply explore the wild open plains inRed Dead Redemption1890, for example.
This would not be the first time that this series did not follow Rockstar’s traditional model, as the very first game was under a similar yet distinct name—Red Dead Revolver. There is a chance that it will just replace “Redemption” with a new word, not unlike theMatrixmovies. But if it does not, then it should definitely consider naming it after the years it takes place. And if it moved on from Marston in the process, it could give the studio virtually limitless flexibility to tell whatever Wild West story it wishes.
Red Dead Redemption 2
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America, 1899. The end of the wild west era has begun as lawmen hunt down the last remaining outlaw gangs. Those who will not surrender or succumb are killed. After a robbery goes badly wrong in the western town of Blackwater, Arthur Morgan and the Van der Linde gang are forced to flee. With federal agents and the best bounty hunters in the nation massing on their heels, the gang must rob, steal and fight their way across the rugged heartland of America in order to survive. As deepening internal divisions threaten to tear the gang apart, Arthur must make a choice between his own ideals and loyalty to the gang who raised him. From the creators of Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption, Red Dead Redemption 2 is an epic tale of life in America at the dawn of the modern age.
