Red Dead Redemption 2: After a seemingly endless dry spell, Rockstar finally announced Red Dead Redemption 2 on October 18. The game belongs to the open-world Western saga that started with Red Dead Revolver way back in 2004, and judging by what we have heard (and the game’s title), Red Dead Redemption 2 will be a continuation of sorts from 2010’s Red Dead Redemption.
That does not necessarily mean that Rockstar will be bringing back everyone’s favourite embodiment of macho Western charisma from the last game. It may be safe to say that John Marston’s story is done, and what we will have when the game finally comes out in the fall of 2017 will be a whole new story.In fact, the initial teasers that Rockstar released and the trailer that came with the subsequent official announcement of the game showed off seven different men, all donning classic cowboy attire and riding on horses. So while Red Dead Redemption 2 will retain much of the same elements as the previous games, we are probably not looking at the same story.On that note, let’s take a look at a few of the rumours that have been doing the rounds about Red Dead Redemption 2.
Red Dead Redemption 2 Rumoured Features
Red Dead Redemption 2 Setting: The trailer that accompanied the announcement did not give much away in terms of the gameplay or story, but one thing that the cinematic treatment gave us a good look at was the game’s beautifully detailed setting. From vivid hilly landscapes to fenced ranches, along with trains cutting through the countryside, we get a glimpse at the game’s western setting like no other. The chaotic town life with its general stores and farm animals comes into focus in the latter part of the video.
While Red Dead Redemption 2was still awaiting itsannouncement, speculation had been rife that the upcoming game would be a sequel to the 2010 Red Dead title, with some hinting that even John Marston may make a comeback. However, some other sources close to the game eventually revealed that while the next Red Dead game would be connected to Red Dead Redemption, it will hardly be a sequel.
A leak surfaced earlier this year which depicted what it claimed to be the map of Red Dead Redemption 2. Interestingly, the locations specified in the map pointed towards a setting that veered towards east of where the last game was set. Moreover, a source close to the development of the game sometime after that the Red Dead Redemption 2 was, in fact, going to be set during a timeline previous to its predecessor. So basically, if we are to trust rumours,Red Dead Redemption 2 will be a follow-up prequel rather than an actual sequel.
Red Dead Redemption 2 Characters: As we already know, Red Dead Redemption 2 willbe centred around the story of seven men. It is not quite clear if all seven will be a part of both the campaign mode as well as the game’s multiplayer, especially given the fact that the previous games in the series have focused on the story of one central protagonist(Red Harlow in Red Dead Revolver and John Marston in Red Dead Redemption)
However, early rumours about the game stated that Red Dead Redemption 2 will follow the story of multiple protagonists, all of whom will be playable. While the rumour has not been verified, it does sound similar to Rockstar’s other widely successfultitle, GTA 5, where we had three very different protagonists to choose from. Moreover, we can’t help but connect the rumour to the images we see in Rockstar’s multiple reveals of the game.
So will Red Dead Redemption 2 go a notch above GTA 5 and actually feature seven different protagonists in the single-player itself? Also, are we looking at a potential prequel in the making? Only time will tell.
Update: Recently, at an MKM Partners event, theTake-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick described his reaction to the game’s announcement in October. “Not shocked, very pleased,” and also said that Red Dead Redemption 2 announcement trailer has picked up more views than the company expected and the“anticipation is enormous” for the second instalment of this popular open-world game.
Moreover, the executive described how the current time and scenario is perfect for the Red Dead Redemption 2 to get massive success, just like its previous versiongot an enormous response from the fans since its launch in 2010.
“The conventional wisdom was of course that a western wouldn’t work,” Zelnick stated about the first instalment. “We took a different point of view, which is that very occasionally westerns capture the imagination of the public. When we launched Red Dead, it did. And those times were right for that. And I think the times are right for a big, sprawling, optimistic view of America again–and that’s not meant to be cute.”
Not only that, the CEO also assured the fansthat Red Dead Redemption 2 will offer “incredible emotional depth” and“great gameplay elements” to the fans. Zelnick said, “You can expect there to be great story elements and great gameplay elements,”
Red Dead Redemption 2 Release Date
Rockstar has announced Red Dead Redemption 2 for a “Fall 2017” launch on the PS4 and Xbox One. The specific date for the launch is not yet known.
Watch the announcement trailer of Red Dead Redemption 2 below.
