Rockstar Games has been crafting the definitive western experience for gamers for years through its Red Dead Redemption franchise. The series encompasses two groundbreaking open-world old west titles. Each game has improved upon the last, with Red Dead Redemption 2 being considered one of the most in-depth and greatest open-world titles around.
Now, Rockstar Games is hard at work on its next batch of groundbreaking titles. Currently, Grand Theft Auto 6 is in development, and a third Red Dead Redemption is sure to follow. If Rockstar begins planning for a third entry in the series, it should consider following the Grand Theft Auto formula and create new characters in new settings for a western story, instead of focusing once again on the infamous Dutch Van der Linde gang.
The Dutch Van der Linde Gang is the Focal Point of Red Dead
The first Red Dead Redemption game released in 2010, and put players in control of John Marston. He was once a member of the Dutch Van der Linde gang, but chose to adopt the simple life instead. His family is taken hostage by the US government, and Marston is forced to hunt down his old gang mates throughout the old west and parts of Mexico. The story is exciting, the gameplay is enthralling, and the world that Rockstar built feels ripped from a western movie.
Eight years later, Rockstar Games released the next title in the Red Dead franchise, Red Dead Redemption 2. Instead of continuing the story of the previous entry, Rockstar chose to go back in time to the fall of the Dutch Van der Linde gang. Players control Arthur Morgan, lieutenant and veteran member of the gang, and the story picks up right after a failed heist in Blackwater forced the gang to flee. What follows is a tale of betrayal, inner-turmoil, and the death of the old west. Many consider it one of the best western stories, and the world that Rockstar crafted for it was one of the most expansive and engrossing open worlds in gaming.
Red Dead Revolver is the only game in the Red Dead series that does not follow the Dutch Van der Linde gang; instead choosing to follow the bounty hunter Red Harlow and his quest for revenge. The other two titles in the series heavily focused on Dutch’s gang, and because of this, each game contained a lot of similar characters and locales.
The Red Dead Series Has Stayed in the Same Place
Red Dead Redemption took place in 1911 during the decline of the American frontier. The open world that Rockstar created for the title contained the fictional states of New Austin and West Elizabeth. These states contained many memorable towns like Armadillo, Blackwater, and Thieves’ Landing. Along with those two states, Red Dead Redemption also included the fictional Mexican state of Nuevo Paraiso.
Red Dead Redemption 2 took place in 1899 during the downfall of the Dutch Van der Linde gang. The game introduced three more fictional states to the world of Red Dead called New Hanover, Ambarino, and Lemoyne. The new states included iconic locales like Valentine, Rhodes, and Saint Denis.
Along with the three new states, Red Dead Redemption 2 also included the two states of New Austin and West Elizabeth from Red Dead Redemption. These states saw significant changes to showcase the time difference between the two titles, like how Blackwater is still in development and not the prosperous city it was in Red Dead Redemption. West Elizabeth also saw an expansion with the addition of mountains and the mountain town of Strawberry.
Much like how the story of Red Dead Revolver was disconnected from the rest of the series, so was the western world it contained. The game took place in the 1800s but lacked an open world like the later entries. Players instead got to explore the western town of Brimstone in-between levels. Brimstone has not seen a return in later entries, just like how Red Harlow has not returned since.
Red Dead Redemption 3 Needs to Follow New Characters
The two Red Dead Redemption titles took place in the same areas with a very similar set of characters. Players got to bond with the Dutch Van der Linde gang in Red Dead Redemption 2, and got to hunt down any survivors in Red Dead Redemption. They got to explore New Austin and West Elizabeth in different time periods, and even got to play as John Marston twice. While this coherence helps build an enthralling western story and makes the games feel more connected than Grand Theft Auto, it does limit the potential that the series could have.
Red Dead Redemption 3 should follow a new set of characters in a new locale. While the fictional states that Rockstar created are perfect settings for western stories, it would be fun to see Rockstar stretch its legs and build up another new area. Maybe it creates new states based on California, Nevada, or even Florida and Iowa. It could also create a title based completely in Mexico or Canada.
While Rockstar would have to stretch some things to fit an old western narrative into some of these locales, it could easily do it. Nothing stops Rockstar from taking inspiration from these states and deciding to throw western towns into them. Crafting these new locales separate from the previous states could help tell a story completely disconnected from the rest of the series.
Grand Theft Auto introduces players to brand-new characters every single entry. While the games will take place in similar locales, the stories being told and the characters involved in them are all disconnected from previous entries. Rockstar should utilize that same formula for Red Dead Redemption. The next title could follow a lawman as they struggle to do the right thing, a bounty hunter like Red Harlow, or a simple rancher who is caught up in a high stakes western adventure.
The Red Dead Redemption series has been using the Dutch Van der Linde gang and the same states for two games now. With the third entry in the Redemption saga, Rockstar should create whole new characters in whole new states. This allows Rockstar to tell new stories disconnected from the already written stories while also providing Red Dead Redemption fans another exciting western story.