A few days back, fans were reasonably excited when it seemed Amazon "leaked" a Red Dead Redemption Remastered release, and then the Red Dead Redemption Outlaw Collection popped up online. This, for many, was hope that RDR2 was getting improvements for the PS5 and Xbox Series X, while RDR1 was getting remastered or remade for the system. But that hope turned to disappointment as fans who weren't blinded by desire quickly picked the Red Dead Redemption Outlaw Collection apart, proving it's fake.
In short, the "PlayStation 5" logo was incorrectly stylized as "Playstation 5" and the images of John Marston and Arthur Morgan were generic .png founds with a simple Google search. There was even a spot where the fake Red Dead Redemption leaker messed up the trees on the logo, and ultimately, any hope that it's real was dashed without question. The Amazon leak was likely a mistake that this fake tried to capitalize on, adding to the pile of fake and false Red Dead Redemption leaks and rumors. Therein lies a huge problem, though.
RDR on XSX, PS5
There are two things that can make someone blind: love and hype. Red Dead Redemption manages to take both from its audience and create a compelling narrative about redemption, family, and more. Indeed, the first RDR1 holds a special place in many's hearts, and even with RDR2 now two years old, fans have been playing it every day since. That's saying something when a single-player game maintains an audience for 2+ years, and as most who fell for the hoax prove, there's a demand for this style of collection to not be fake.
Whether it was indeed bundled together or just released separately, confirmation that Red Dead Redemption 1 was getting a remake or remaster would be exciting for many Rockstar fans. Confirmation that Red Dead Redemption 2 was coming to PS5 and Xbox Series X, which seems inevitable, would go a long way. Now, the problem is that, despite the demand for this to happen being there, Rockstar Games hasn't provided any real substance to even suggest they could be.
Fan-desires have manifested into real games before (case in point: Mass Effect Legendary Collection, Skate 4, and more), but with GTA Online support ongoing, GTA 6 presumably in development, and much, much more, it's uncertain if there's much room left for the game of cowboys. After all, all Rockstar Games has to do to end this is come forward and say, "hey, yes, this is a thing being worked on and more information is forthcoming from official channel," but it hasn't. Sometimes, companies can't comment on something like fake leaks for a variety of reasons, but something to end the variety of fake Red Dead Redemption rumors would be nice.
For now, fans should remain vocal and perhaps, some day, these rumors will be more than just that. At the same time, fans shouldn't hold their breath for more Red Dead Redemption 2 for current or next-gen consoles either.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is available now for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.