Among the accolades won by Red Dead Redemption 2 at the 2018 Game Awards was the “Best Narrative” award, beating stiff competition from God of War, Detroit: Become Human, Life is Strange 2, and Marvel’s Spider-Man. Certainly, the award was well-earned; the story and writing of Red Dead Redemption 2 received near universal praise. The game has set a high bar for a sequel, if Rockstar do choose to develop Red Dead Redemption 3. If they did, however; would Rockstar write an entirely new story?
Red Dead Redemption 2 is a direct prequel to the original Red Dead Redemption; one which fills in the blanks of John Marston’s life story and the story of the Van Der Linde gang. However, with the stories of the two games now woven together, is there actually any room for a good third instalment featuring the same characters? Possibly, but doing so could present several problems.
Story Possibilities for Red Dead Redemption 3
Red Dead Redemption 2 does set something of a precedent that the story of the franchise is consistent across titles; a significant difference from Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto series, where the individual games’ stories are largely standalone. Given that Red Dead Redemption 2 is a prequel, it might make sense for Red Dead Redemption 3 to be a direct sequel to the original game; continuing the story in the other direction. However, there are a few issues with doing this, not least the problem posed by the setting itself.
Red Dead Redemption takes place at the very end of the ‘Wild West’ era; indeed, the theme of the frontier world being overtaken by modernity is a major part of the game. A sequel to the original Red Dead Redemption would have to take place within a few years (at the most) for the setting to still fall into the category of being a ‘Western’.
If Rockstar chose for Red Dead Redemption 3 to go even further back, perhaps telling the story of how the Van Der Linde gang was first formed, it might also run into problems. While the setting would remain appropriate in this instance, the stories of the gang members are so deeply explored in the two existing games that it would be difficult to create meaningful character development. It wouldn’t be impossible, but it begs the question; why hamstring the story unnecessarily?
Writing a New Story for Red Dead Redemption 3
The third option is for Rockstar to write a completely new story for Red Dead Redemption 3. (Not ruling out some cameo appearances, perhaps, from existing characters.) This would open up a lot of options for the potential sequel, including new settings which have yet to be seen in the franchise. Rockstar’s ability to write a compelling and emotional story has now been proven; they would surely do a good job with a new cast of characters who could be purpose-developed for a new storyline.
Unfortunately, all fans can do at this stage is speculate, and that is unlikely to change anytime soon. Eight years separated the release of Red Dead Redemption and the series’ second instalment. Hopefully, it won’t be so long to wait this time. However, it will probably still be years nonetheless before fans hear anything concrete about Red Dead Redemption 3.