Rockstar has a storied development portfolio, but none of its IP have reached the same level of cultural relevance and success asRed Dead RedemptionandGrand Theft Auto. Indeed, these two franchises, despite their clear differences, are more or less the two release pillars of the fabled studio, forming almost the entirety of its2010s release calendar.
This can be expected to remain Rockstar’s modus operandi for a while still, asGrand Theft Auto 6is slated to release in 2026, making it Rockstar’s first official, new release of the decade. It will follow 2018’sRed Dead Redemption 2—a game that shook the games industry to its core, despite being something of a pleasant surprise when it was first announced: back in 2010, when the firstRed Dead Redemptionlaunched, it wasn’t widely assumed that the IP would be spun into a broader franchise. After all, this was during the era ofL.A. Noire,Max Payne 3, and other Rockstar games that have seemingly been forgotten; there was no guarantee that the developer would be looking for another long-lasting series alongsideGTA. But regardless ofRed Dead Redemption’s popularity, there’s reason to believe that it may never achieve the same legacy status asGTA, which can effectively be developed indefinitely.
Grand Theft Autocan be broadly described as “contemporary,” in the sense that its games follow characters in the modern age. But “contemporary” is something of a broad term, and can apply to several different decades and eras. This is whyGTA: Vice Citycan take place in the 1980s without feeling out-of-step withGTA 5, which takes place in the early 2010s. Essentially, as long as there are cars, densely populated cities, and guns, anysetting can work forGrand Theft Auto. It’s also essential to note thatGTAis an anthology series, with each new entry following a distinct cast, often in a new location.
Red Dead Redemptiondoesn’t have such luxuries. Clearly established as a wild-west narrative, theRed DeadIP is inextricable from its frontier locales and turn-of-the-century setting: a theoreticalRed Dead Redemption 3couldn’t reasonably take place in 1950s New York, for instance. Put another way, the western genre is restricted to one sort of setting, both geographic and temporal, which givesRed Deada lot less room to grow compared toGTA, which has already demonstrated its flexibility via its diverse portfolio. And whileGTAfollows a new cast with each entry, theRed Dead Redemptiongames center specifically onthe Van der Linde Gang.A pivot to a completely new group of characters is possible, but seems less likely, given the precedent set byRDR2.
Red Dead RevolverpredatesRed Dead Redemption, and arguably sets a precedent for an anthology format. Still, the series is restricted by its aforementioned genre conventions.
While some gamers might dream of a world with infiniteRed Dead RedemptionandGTAreleases, that’s simply not realistic. Moreover, if Rockstar were to develop myriadRed Deadsequels, it would lock the studio out from other creative endeavors, which would be a shame, no doubt.
Red Dead Redemptionmay serve as an important reminder that not every good video game IP needs to be spun off into a long-running, consistent series. In fact, many games, like so many other works of art, are powerful by virtue of their finite nature.Red Dead RedemptionandRed Dead Redemption 2are hard-hitting, stand-alone western games—they don’t need to spawn countless, potentially forced, sequels.
Red Dead Redemption 2
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America, 1899. The end of the wild west era has begun as lawmen hunt down the last remaining outlaw gangs. Those who will not surrender or succumb are killed. After a robbery goes badly wrong in the western town of Blackwater, Arthur Morgan and the Van der Linde gang are forced to flee. With federal agents and the best bounty hunters in the nation massing on their heels, the gang must rob, steal and fight their way across the rugged heartland of America to survive. As deepening internal divisions threaten to tear the gang apart, Arthur must make a choice between his own ideals and loyalty to the gang who raised him. From the creators of Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption, Red Dead Redemption 2 is an epic tale of life in America at the dawn of the modern age.
