Rumors have begun circulating that Rockstar Games may have quietly shelved a remake of Red Dead Redemption that it had been working on. This is apparently due to the fact that the studio wants all hands on deck for Grand Theft Auto 6 and the poor reception of Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy The Definitive Edition. Around the time that these rumors cropped up, Rockstar announced that it had no plans for any more major updates to Red Dead Online. This means that fans of the Red Dead Redemption franchise have nothing to look forward to, and the studio has put its entire focus on Grand Theft Auto 6.
While Grand Theft Auto 6 may be a great game when it comes out, the possible cancellation of a Red Dead Redemption remake is not fair to the many fans of the franchise. Both Red Dead Redemption games were groundbreaking, and they have garnered a significant fanbase that has been left with nothing. All that they can do is replay the story modes of both games, or mess around in an online mode that will no longer get new content. On top of that, the first game in the series came out 12 years ago and was just waiting for the remake treatment, which Rockstar needs to deliver.
Red Dead Redemption is Dated Compared to its Prequel
Red Dead Redemption came out in 2010 and was a huge critical success. It was the first time that players were introduced to John Marston and the Dutch Van der Linde Gang, and is still considered to be one of the best Wild West games ever made. The world that Rockstar constructed was beautiful, the story was heart-wrenching, and the gameplay was engaging. Players fell in love with the colorful cast of characters and spent hours living out their Wild West dreams.
Eight years later, Rockstar finally delivered on a sequel to the award-winning title. However, the studio chose to craft a prequel to the game instead of continuing where the last one left off. Players were put in the shoes of Arthur Morgan during the downfall of the Dutch Van der Linde gang, and the players instantly fell in love. The world that Rockstar built for the prequel was even more expansive than the first game, and it came even closer to feeling like a real-life version of the Old West. The game world felt alive and lived in, the story was even more wild, and the cast of characters all felt lifelike. While the first game gave players a beautiful world to explore, the prequel took things to the next level and gave players a world that felt ripped straight from a Western.
The evolution of the Red Dead Redemption franchise is great for the players, and they can only dream about what how lifelike the third entry will be. However, the huge differences in mechanics and graphics makes the transition from the prequel to the original kind of jarring. If players want to play the games chronologically then they have to start in the newer Red Dead Redemption 2 before going to the sometimes dated feeling Red Dead Redemption. The older feel of the first game can put off some players who may want to experience its story, and a remake could have fixed this issue. Giving it the same paint job as the second game could have made the transition far less jarring, and would have opened the game up to a far bigger audience.
Some Remake Work Has Already Been Done
Remaking the first Red Dead Redemption in the style of the second would be a lot of work, but some of that work has already been done. Red Dead Redemption 2 gave players a far bigger game world to explore that encompasses newer parts of the country with some familiar parts. The majority of the story took place in the new states of New Hanover, Ambarino, and Lemoyne. If players wanted to, they could also take a trip to the towns from the first game. Rockstar rebuilt the map of the first game inside the game world of the second, albeit with a few changes.
Rockstar Games has also created a playable model of John Marston inside Red Dead Redemption 2. Once players finish the story of the second game, they are put in control of Marston for the epilogue chapter. They have to build the ranch that Marston's family lives in during Red Dead Redemption, and attempt to put the crime lifestyle behind them. This means that the studio already has most of the game world done and the playable character.
While it would still require some significant work on Rockstar Games part, some groundwork has already been laid. The studio would still have to make the towns look like how it did in Red Dead Redemption, add in Nuevo Paraiso, and recreate the story. The studio could use a lot of the assets that were found in Red Dead Redemption 2, and the remake could be completed in a much smaller timeframe.
Red Dead Deserves to Shine
Red Dead Redemption was a great game at the time, and it still is. Recently, it has become overshadowed by its predecessor, and it should not be. Red Dead Redemption 2 took the franchise to the next level and brought in many more players, but the first one also deserves recognition. It may be dated, but it started the Red Dead Redemption story and delivered its own heart-wrenching Old West story. The story of John Marston deserves to be witnessed by players, and a remake could have done just that.
Rockstar Games has given Grand Theft Auto fans so much content to explore, and it needs to do the same with Red Dead fans. Grand Theft Auto 5 has been re-released multiple times and has gotten remastered. Now, the future of Red Dead Redemption has apparently been put on hold so that Rockstar can make a whole new Grand Theft Auto game. That is great news for Grand Theft Auto players, but there is no reason that Red Dead players cannot have something to look forward to also. A full-on third entry may be out of the question, but a remake of the first game should not be.
Red Dead Redemption came out 12 years ago, and it is in need of a facelift. Not only would that help put it in-line with its prequel, but it would also give Red Dead fans something to look forward to as Red Dead Online stops getting new content. A remake of the first game could be a lot of fun, and Rockstar should not shelve it in favor of Grand Theft Auto 6.
Red Dead Redemption is available now for PS3 and Xbox 360.