Rockstar Games has most recently proven its intent to make the publisher's games last as long as they possibly can. Grand Theft Auto 5 in 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 with Grand 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 with Red Dead Redemption 2, though certainly not to the same extent as Grand Theft Auto 5.
Considering both Grand Theft Auto 5 has already been confirmed to release with an enhanced version on PS5, it's not far off to consider a Red Dead Redemption 2 enhanced port is on the way as well. The truth is that Red Dead Online may not be the lucrative online experience that Grand Theft Auto Online is 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.
Red Dead Redemption Remake Rumors Lead to New Evidence
One leak in particular gained traction recently when an anonymous poster on 4chan stated that a Red Dead Redemption remake 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 potential Red Dead Redemption remake, there was some interesting evidence presented about a potential Red Dead Redemption 2 port to next-gen consoles.
There were several 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 that Grand Theft Auto 5 and a standalone version of Grand Theft Auto Online would 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 a Red Dead Redemption 2 enhanced port of some kind. Red Dead Redemption's prequel was no slouch in terms of sales, considering Red Dead Redemption 2 is still in the top 15 best selling games of all time. Plus, regardless of whether or not Red Dead Online isn't the microtransactions profit giant that Rockstar Games may have wanted it to be, the mode is consistently receiving updates. Assuming the game has a similar long-term content roadmap like Grand Theft Auto Online does, it'd make total sense for Red Dead Redemption 2 to 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 to Red Dead Redemption 2's release. It's why PS4 players are getting a free $1,000,000 each month in Grand Theft Auto Online as well, in preparation for the move to the enhanced version in 2021. Considering Grand Theft Auto 5, a game that was first released in 2013, is getting a another re-release on PS5 and Xbox Series X, an enhanced Red Dead Redemption 2 port isn't completely out of the realm of possibility. If fans are willing to believe a Red Dead Redemption remaster could happen using Red Dead Redemption 2's assets and engine, then a port seems almost certain.
Only One Reason Why a Port is Unlikely
If anything, the only thing barring a Red Dead Redemption 2 port would be a genuine Red Dead Redemption remake. The groundwork has been laid by Red 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 through Red Dead Online or for a Red Dead Redemption remake remains to be seen. It's more plausible that this was simply an extension for Red 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 in Red Dead Redemption 2 for another purpose.
Assuming that were true, there'd be no reason to pour assets into porting Red Dead Redemption 2 on next-gen consoles if a Red Dead Redemption remake was already in process. That being said, Rockstar full on remaking Red Dead Redemption has 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 the Red Dead Online community continues to thrive just as much as Grand Theft Auto Online does, a Red Dead Redemption 2 enhanced 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 2 is available now on PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One