From the moment that Rockstar’s acclaimedRed Dead Redemption 2was released in 2018, fans of the franchise have been clamoring for more of the series’ rough-and-tumble Wild West action. And with recent rumors hinting at the possibility of a remastered version ofthe firstRed Dead Redemptionin the works, it seems that some gamers may soon get their wish. But while players may be excited by the idea of returning to the 2010 original, a remasteredRed Dead Redemptioncould come at the cost of a third entry in the franchise.
Rockstar now stands at the same crossroads that EA Motive likely did when deciding between developing its upcomingIron Mangame or a sequel to its wildly successfulDead Spaceremake to cash in on the gaming zeitgeist. Although a thirdRed Dead Redemptiongame would let Rockstar continue pushing the envelope in open-world design, a remastered version of the fan-favorite original would potentially cost less while still turning a massive profit. With the ongoing development ofGrand Theft Auto 6making it unlikely that Rockstar would push itself to take on two additional titles at the same time, it may soon be forced to choose between revisiting the series’ past or moving forward with therumoredRed Dead Redemption 3.
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While fans of the open-world westerns would undoubtedly prefer both a remake and a thirdRed Dead Gamerather than be limited to only one of the two, the realities of game development may require Rockstar to make a difficult choice between one or the other. Finishing work on its most popular franchise ahead ofthe reveal ofGTA 6is likely eating up a significant chunk of both Rockstar’s resources and its workforce at the moment, so adding both a remake and a sequel to the docket may be a bit much even for the notoriously crunch-prone studio.
Although many fans of the franchise continue to be excited over the rumored release of a remasteredRed Dead Redemption, revisiting the 2010 classic could result in a much longer wait for a third entry in the series. Be that as it may, going the remake route could make the most financial sense for Rockstar. Not only would a remaster of the first game be able to cash in on fans’ nostalgia but, sinceRed Dead Redemption 2’s mapalready contains much of the original game’s world, Rockstar would potentially be able to reuse many existing assets.
The position Rockstar may now find itself in, whether to go with the sure bet of remastering an established classic or starting a new project, is similar to the crossroads EA Motive faced after the success of itsDead Spaceremake. AlthoughEA Motive’sIron Mangameis the next title in development from the Montreal-based studio, releasing aDead Space 2remake following the success of last year’s survival horror hit would have undoubtedly been a safer bet than pursuing a new IP.
Releasing a thirdRed Dead Redemptionrather than a remake of the first game likely wouldn’t bring the same level of challenge as creating an entirely new IP, but may still prove to be more of a risk than Rockstar is willing to take in the current economy. On the other hand, following upGTA 6withRed Dead Redemption 3would be a potentially winning combo against which other developers would have a tough time competing.
Whether Rockstar chooses to move the franchise forward withRed Dead Redemption3or revisit the first game one last time, fans will surely be excited to hop in the virtual saddle yet again. And withRockstar’s open-world gamesconsistently setting the standard for the genre, whichever path they choose will undoubtedly influence the industry for years to come.
