Rockstar’s plans for its two main franchises have been unclear to many fans for some time now. DespiteGrand Theft Auto 5releasing back in 2013, there has been no official news about a sixth game.Red Dead Redemption 2released in 2018, and as time goes on the possibility of Rockstar developing a major DLC similar toRed Dead Redemption’s famousUndead Nightmareadd-on seems to grow increasingly slim.
While some fans want moreRed Dead Redemption 2content, others are hoping that if the studio is not looking to develop another AAA game any time soon, a remaster of the originalRed Dead Redemptionremaster could be in the works. Here’s the case for both a remaster andRed Dead 2DLC, and which might be more likely.
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The originalUndead NightmareflippedRed Dead Redemptionon its head, telling a wild non-canon story that sawJohn Marstonsearching for a cure to a zombie plague that had taken hold of his family. Fans have been hoping forRed Dead 2’s take onUndead Nightmareever since the second game released.
There are a few elements that aRed Dead 2add-on would need to live up to the original. First, it would need to allow player’s access toRed Dead 2’s entire open world again, but with a twist. In the case of the original, this was its zombie enemies.Red Dead 2’s mapwas far larger than the first game’s, so a reintroduced zombie mode could still feel fresh as players fight the undead in the streets of Saint Denis and other locations that weren’t included in the originalRed Dead.
A non-canon side adventure would also allow for the return of Arthur Morgan as the add-on’s main character. Bringing back Roger Clark’s iconic character would likely be popular, and many members ofRed Dead 2’s cast have stated their interest in returning to their roles.
AnUndead Nightmare-style add-on could allow the performers behind characters like Arthur,Sadie Adler, Hosea, and other fan-favorites to return without impacting the main game’s story or limiting their use in any futureRed Deadstories.
It could be interesting to see aRed Dead 2add-on with the same general principles asUndead Nightmare– a new, shorter campaign in a non-canon version of the world – but one that takes on a different genre.Red Dead 2already had a penchant for the supernatural. The game includes thevampire of Saint Denis, UFOs, ghosts, not to mention the mysterious Strange Man. Rockstar would need to find a premise, however, that worked as well in the game’s open world asUndead Nightmare’s zombies.
Years afterRed Dead 2’s release, a follow-up toUndead Nightmareseems increasingly unlikely. Rockstar seems more focused onRed Dead Onlinecontent, and while it is possible that will change, the developer has also suggested that single-player DLC is off the table for now.
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In contrast, there’s certainly evidence that Rockstar is interested in remastering some of its older titles. Rockstar recently announced that the3DGrand Theft Autotrilogy–San Andreas,Vice City, andGTA 3– would all be getting remasters from Rockstar Dundee.
Other successful recent remasters likeMass Effect: Legendary Editionand theHaloremastersshow just how profitable remasters can be for game developers. With Rockstar seemingly still in a period of downtime after the release ofRed Dead 2, remastering the first game would make a lot of sense.
While there isn’t any evidence that Rockstar has plans forRed Dead 2single-player DLC, there is some evidence pointing to aRed Dead 1remaster. Back in May 2021, a financial report released by Rockstar Games said the studio would be releasing “new iterations of previously released titles.” At least one of those remasters is confirmed to be a “expanded and enhanced” version ofGrand Theft Auto 5andGTA Online.
ARed Dead Redemption 1remaster seems like a natural choice. The original was a classic, but while it was critically and commercially acclaimed,Red Dead Redemption 2still sold millions more copiesthan its predecessor. By 2017,Red Dead 1had sold around 15 million copies. By 2020,Red Dead 2had sold nearly 30 million copies.
This gives Rockstar incentive to market aRed Dead Redemption 1remaster to those fans who played the prequel but not the original. This shouldn’t be hard –Red Dead 2ended with the player taking on the role of John Marston in the epilogue afterArthur Morgan’s death, so many fans will be eager to continue the story from there.
ARockstar financial reportearlier this year said the studio intends to publish 62 games by the end of 2024, and it seems very likely that one of those games will be theRed Dead Redemptionremaster. It also states that six of its “new iterations of previously released titles” are aiming for release in 2022.Red Dead Redemption could easily be among them.
Fans hoping forRed Dead Redemption 2to release any single-player DLC, let alone another iconic add-on likeUndead Nightmare, are likely out of luck. Fans hoping for a remaster of the originalRed Dead Redemption, however, have more reasons to be hopeful. Although some may be disappointed that fan-favoriteRed Dead 2charactersare unlikely to return in a DLC, it could be the best way to preserve the legacy of bothRed Dead 2’s story and the originalUndead Nightmare. Hopefully a remake, if it is in the works, doesRed Dead 1justice.
Red Dead Redemption 2is available now for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.
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