Red Dead Redemption 2 was a runaway success when it arrived in 2018, providing a prequel story that gave so much more depth to a game that was already known for its great characters and world-building. It’s a hard act to follow, and while Grand Theft Auto 6 may be next on the agenda for developer Rockstar, there’s little doubt that it will return to its western masterpiece eventually, even if Red Dead Redemption 3 is likely years away from an announcement. When (and if) the Van Der Linde Gang returns, there will be a huge expectation for the project to take a significant mechanical and presentational leap, which will be hard given the first games’ stunning quality.
Rockstar Games has a pair of truly exceptional series, each with their own unique flavor. Whereas Grand Theft Auto places a higher emphasis on player-led action and unpredictability in a gorgeous open world, Red Dead Redemption is a more narrative-focused affair, with much of the scenery being there to serve the events of the story. Because of this, the setting is more important than ever, and as Red Dead Redemption and its sequel take place in a fictional southwest, the third game would do well to change the formula and instead go north.
The North Would Be Different for Red Dead Redemption
Red Dead Redemption tells its story in the fictional setting of New Austin and its surrounding areas, which is inspired by real-world Arizona, New Mexico, and west Texas. With dusty dirt roads and sparse plains decorated with withering cabins and wayward towns, the setting does a good job of providing sufficient activities outside the main campaign. Red Dead Redemption 2 was far more diverse in its landscape, though sometimes this felt more far-reaching than the intimate writing would suggest. Red Dead Redemption 3 needs consistency in its setting, if anything to feed into a story that has always been far smaller in scale than its Grand Theft Auto counterpart has ever provided.
Traveling north into parts unknown for the franchise could provoke a drastic shift in tone and introduce new characters, story beats, and visual scenery, each differentiating the third game from its predecessors. Realism has always been so important to Red Dead Redemptionand Rockstar could use its ability to painstakingly recreate environments with care in a different place. Red Dead Redemption 2 begins in a snowy outcropping in the north of Ambarino in Spider Gorge, and soon the gang finds refuge at Horseshoe Overlook. The characters are only in the cold for a short while, and bringing them back up north could grant the game more environmental challenges, gameplay differences, and a stark change in narrative tone.
Red Dead Redemption’s Soiree in the South
Red Dead Redemption has taken players all over the southern parts of the United States, while brief pit stops in Mexico and the Caribbean-inspired Guarma have given the franchise some much-needed diversity in landscape. The world that Red Dead Redemption 2 crafts is gorgeous, with expansive grasslands and greener pastures aplenty, and it’s diverse as it is gorgeous. It’s better in some key ways than the New Austin of the first game. Yet, it’s clear that Red Dead Redemption 3 needs to be more than just another jaunt across the southern states, and there’s so much opportunity in the north that would be disappointing for Rockstar Games to neglect.
Red Dead Redemption is as much a victim of its genre as it is boosted by it. People expect epic western stories to take place in the American southwest around 150 years ago, but properties like Westworld, True History of the Kelly Gangand even Firefly succeed with a western theme while placing their stories elsewhere. Red Dead Redemption is the best western franchise in the history of gaming, but it doesn’t necessarily need the southern setting to succeed. Strong writing and meticulous attention to detail can be used in any number of locations, so pushing further north wouldn’t disturb the fabric of the franchise that players love.
Canada’s History is Perfect for Rockstar Games
Red Dead Redemption 2 takes place in 1899, and the first game in 1911, so it would continue the trend to set the third prior to the events of the first two. While the USA was feeling the effects of the Civil War on both a federal and societal level in the late 19th century, Canada was also in a time of great change. The nation was granted dominion status in 1866 and became its own self-governing country just one year later. Naturally, with such upheaval came controversy, and tensions arose between English-Canadian nationalism and French-Canadians from Quebec. The country being in an uncertain state around the time that Red Dead Redemption takes place makes it ideal for an outlaw story.
Like the USA in the late 19th century, Canada was far from settled, and this could have significant implications for a fictional story set in the country at the time. For a game about outlaws, it can be a narrative gift to find a setting that is in political and cultural turmoil. The legal lines are blurred, and as such the way that criminal organizations like the Van Der Linde Gang operate is subject to change. Players have a wide berth to commit questionable deeds and still find themselves on the right side of the law and the developer has more breathing room to craft a plausible story where the characters flirt with the wrong side of the law. Canada could not only be a visual marvel for Red Dead Redemption 3but also a political one, providing more story beats simply from the history of the area alone.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is available for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
