2018’sRed Dead Redemption 2seems to grow more and more revered with each passing year. Whilethe firstRed Dead Redemptionwas a bona-fide hit, and expectations for its sequel were generally quite high, few could have predicted the level of nuance, soul, and wisdom that would be conveyed throughRed Dead Redemption 2’s narrative and world, making a third entry in the series a more tantalizing prospect than ever.
But where exactlyRed Dead Redemptioncould go after its second entry is a bit unclear.RDR2is a prequel that ends in the death of its protagonist, and the hero of the firstRed Dead Redemptionmeets a similarly fatal end, meaning that the main character of a hypothetical threequel would have to be a fresh face. Of course, a sprawling cast of characters has been introduced across both entries, and gunslingers like Jack Marston and Sadie Adler have been put forth by fans as possible candidates to lead the third game. This could work, in theory, but it comes with a few complications and downsides, and Rockstar may be better poised to simply hit the reset button for future entries.
While there is certainlydemand for a thirdRed Dead Redemption, it must be stated that it hasn’t been confirmed or denied by Rockstar in any official capacity. The following is simply speculation.
The decision to makeRed Dead Redemption 2a prequel makes a lot of sense, mainly due to the fact that the game’s events play an important role in its predecessor’s story; there was value in the expansion of certain narrative elements and character backgrounds. Additionally,RDR2being a prequelallows it to continue the themes of its predecessor, focusing on the same questions of freedom, loyalty, and order. Put another way, these two games are inextricably linked, coming together to form a cohesive, comprehensive, and epic story.
But like every good story, it has come to an end. The audience may not know every detail about every character’s fate, and that’s fine. A sequel following Sadie, Charles, Jack, or some other beloved outlaw to their death could diminish the impact they had in the earlier games, turning them from a key part of Arthur or John’s story into just another reference to milk content out of. Similarly, ifRed Dead Redemption 3were to be another prequel, showing the members of the Dutch Van der Linde Gang in their glory days, it would be likely be formulaic, trite, predictable, flaccid, and forced, especially in comparison to the inspiredRDR2.
It may not have been anywhere near as successful or iconic as theRedemptiongames, but Rockstar’sRed Dead Revolverwas actually the series' first outingbefore the pivoting to the John/Arthur duology. So, while it might seem like a bold idea to completely reboot the franchise with a new cast of characters forRed Dead Redemption 3(or whatever it would theoretically be called), it’s really not so unheard of. And of course, one can’t forget theGrand Theft Autofranchise, through which Rockstar has developed a penchant for telling various unique stories only connected by the loosest of threads.
This might be the only real path forward for the franchise. At the very least, it could be the only path that doesn’t run the risk of creatively bankrupting the series, engaging in some twisted necromancy withRed Dead Redemption’s already-established charactersand concepts, and most fans would probably agree that that outcome would be worse than no sequel at all.
