Red Dead Redemption 3: A More Intimate Storyline Ahead?

The Red Dead Redemption franchise has a rich history spanning over 14 years and three games. The last two games depict the end of the Wild West and the outlaw lifestyle that came with it. The first game conveyed the idea that the world was shrinking, while the second game exposed the external and internal forces that caused the Van der Linde gang to fall apart. The question remains, where could Red Dead Redemption 3 take us?

Some have suggested that the game should follow the story of Jack Marston, the son of the first game's protagonist, John Marston. While this idea has its detractors, it would provide an opportunity to continue the franchise's recurring theme of the dying West. However, if Rockstar Games were to pursue this idea, it's likely that the game would be the smallest in the franchise.

How Red Dead Redemption 2 depicts the decline of the Old West is a major theme that runs throughout the game.

Both Red Dead Redemption 2 and its competitor depict the decline of the Old West, but in vastly different ways. In particular, Red Dead Redemption 2 portrays the jarring impact of civilizing institutions on the outlaws' traditional way of life. Interestingly, the game's main antagonists are not individuals, but rather the institutions they represent.

Over the course of the game, the Van der Linde gang confronts the Italian Mob, the still-active Pinkerton Detective Agency, and the US Army - which frequently operates on behalf of industrialist Leviticus Cornwall and his various companies. These conflicts ultimately weave together to create an epic story that illustrates the powerful forces that would eventually bring an end to the outlaw lifestyle of the Old West.

The Van der Linde gang constantly felt the pressure of being hunted by the relentless Pinkerton Detective Agency. Leviticus Cornwall and his successors also added to this pressure by harassing the gang for robbing one of their trains early on in the game. As a result, the gang began to fracture, with everyone losing faith in Dutch, who had no real plan to keep them safe.

It was later revealed that Micah Bell had been spying for the Pinkertons and Cornwall for a significant portion of the game. Whether he did it for clemency or money is unclear, but it's another example of how the civilized forces eventually drive the outlaw lifestyle into the ground. This is why Red Dead Redemption 2 almost feels like an epilogue to its sequel.

The storyline of the first game pales in comparison to its sequel. Bill Williamson leads a group of rag-tag outlaws in one of the last major frontier towns while Javier Escuella is an agent of the Mexican government. Dutch van der Linde runs around with another band of outlaws who rob and kill with reckless abandon, all while wearing Long Johns. However, the story itself feels like a mop-up operation, almost as if it were limited by the technology available at the time or intended to be a smaller story. It's very much a tale about the remnants of the once glorious Old West.

Players witness the characters of Red Dead Redemption in a state of decline, holding onto their past glory as the Old West comes to an end. Dutch van der Linde, once a respected leader, becomes a desperate criminal robbing banks to survive. This shift in character highlights the theme of the end of an era and sets the stage for a smaller, more intimate story that Red Dead Redemption 3 could benefit from. Similar to films like Unforgiven, True Grit, and The Wild Bunch, a more focused narrative could allow for deeper character development and exploration of the changing times.

Currently, there is no information available about the speculated sequel, including its direction or whether Rockstar is even planning to produce it. Some fans believe that following Jack Marston's journey would be the best approach, while others suggest that Red Dead Redemption 3 should center on the early days of Dutch and Hosea. However, if the developer chooses to follow Jack Marston's path, it will likely be another smaller-scale story, similar to the first Red Dead Redemption.

By the end of Red Dead Redemption, the world has changed significantly, with the year being 1914. If Red Dead Redemption 3 were to be released, it would likely focus on the last remnants of the old way of life. Any gangs that emerge would probably be smaller and made up of the remaining outlaws from the old guard, attracting people with stories of their exploits.

Likewise, to avoid drawing too much attention and due to a shortage of manpower and experienced outlaws, the heists they would carry out would have to be smaller in scale. These factors all contribute to the notion that the outlaw lifestyle is no longer sustainable.

As for the potential direction of a sequel, it remains uncertain. Rockstar is currently fully focused on the development of Grand Theft Auto 6, which means that a Red Dead Redemption 3 may not see the light of day until the 2030s. If the developer were to center the story around Jack as the main character, the resulting game may end up being the smallest in the franchise but could still deliver a compelling narrative. It's all just speculation at this point, but rumors of a Red Dead Redemption 3 being in development continue to circulate.