Rockstar Games constantly tops itself with each subsequent release. 2018's Red Dead Redemption 2 used the full force of all their studios around the world to craft the most ambitious and realistic open-world game to date. Given the eight-year gap between the first game and this prequel, the game went through many trials in order to make it to people's living rooms.
Not all the tidbits below are blood, sweat, and tears, however, sometimes showing a lighter side of game development. Whatever the company has in store for the future, fans won't soon forget Red Dead Redemption 2's impact.
10 The Main Story's Script Is Two Thousand Pages
Arthur Morgan's journey has enough content for a television show spanning several seasons. Nothing exemplifies this more than knowing the script for the main story alone is about two thousand pages long. For reference, Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace generally is around twelve-hundred pages. Simply writing this must have been a herculean effort, let alone putting it into a functioning video game.
9 The Cats
Rockstar's headquarters are located in New York City. Like any self-respecting business in the big apple, they have cats roaming the offices. Residents of the city are used to seeing the friendly felines in their neighborhood bodegas, but they probably wouldn't expect to see them when walking into the offices of one of the most popular video game studios in the world. Rodents run rampant in New York, and cats help keep the population in control.
8 Fred Armisen Does A Voice
Fred Armisen is a fan of video games and has professed his love of Red Dead Redemption on several occasions. Of course, his view might have some bias, because he provides voices for both projects. In the prequel, he plays Aldridge T. Abbington, an MC in Saint Denis. Red Dead's world is not as zany as Grand Theft Auto, but there's still room for a comedian in the mix.
7 A Thousand Actors Performed In The Game
Virtually every character is voiced and motion-captured by different people. All in all, around one thousand actors took part in the game's production, making Rockstar Games the biggest employer of actors in New York City. Making sure all those performers keep their mouths shut and not leak the project must have been quite difficult, but most working actors don't have the money to defend themselves in court for violating a non-disclosure agreement.
6 Improvements In Motion Capture
The technology for motion capture not only improved since Red Dead Redemption in 2010, but it also got better in the middle of development. The actor who plays Dutch van der Linde, Benjamin Byron Davis, has explained how performing has gotten easier.
In the first game, scenes had to be done in one take, while in the prequel they were able to splice together various performances in case someone flubbed a line. Additionally, more actors can appear in a scene at one time.
5 Rob Wiethoff Left Acting Before The Game Entered Development
A few years after Red Dead Redemption's 2010 release, Rob Wiethoff left acting to focus on raising his family. Fortunately, the actor who played John Marston returned to the craft to reprise his role for Red Dead Redemption 2. Given Marston's arc, it is appropriate for him to be played by an actor who discovered family was more important than becoming a successful thespian.
4 Whole Missions Were Cut
Given how much content is packed in the final product, it may surprise many to learn how much was cut before release. Entire missions were chopped out of the game for the sake of the story and pacing. With ninety-four main story missions, it is difficult to believe more was made before getting the axe. One wonders how those who worked on the missions felt about their work ending up unused.
3 Arthur Morgan's Extra Lover
Players cannot be as loose as they could with a protagonist from Grand Theft Auto. Arthur Morgan has only one love in the game, Mary Linton, and his opportunity is ruined by some bad luck and a deadly Tuberculosis infection. Earlier in development, he was meant to have another love interest, though details are sparse as to who this person was. Another lover perhaps would have muddied the story too much.
2 The Trailers Were Meticulously Crafted
Those who do not work in marketing may not realize the amount of work that goes into crafting trailers and promotional material. Each trailer went through roughly seventy versions before they settled on the cuts released to the public. The team wants to make sure they entice gamers to play without giving away too much. Rockstar's trailers generally have a special flare, which speaks to all the handwork put into editing them together.
1 Jack Marston Was Played By A Woman
Working with kids presents all sorts of restrictions due to child labor laws designed to prevent them from being exploited in the business. This is why Jack Marston, whose character is a child throughout most of the game, is played by a woman during the bulk of the game. Marissa Buccianti did a bang up job, too, since no one would suspect it was a grown person playing him.