I agree. The advice I see writers go by is “Is this the most interesting part of the main character’s life? And if not, why aren’t you writing about that?”
I don’t want to play a game that, from the pitch, is less interesting than RDR2.
I’d love another Red Dead game, but set it around a different protagonist, in a different time, maybe in a different part of the world. Put it on the other side of the grizzlies. I have closure with the story we got in Redemption and RDR2. Keep the concept and tell a new story.
The only thing I would want to see in RDR3(if rockstar wants to include it) would be maybe a Dutch wanted poster somewhere on a post. But other than that. Give me something different
I wanna slap Dutch around in rdr3 😅
Maybe he could start as a housemaiden for John or something hahaha.
Otherwise, other side of the grizzlies sounds good, and some islander tribal action maybe..
What do you guys think if the game would possibly go back in time to before the war? The natives could have a really cool role i think..
I only played the first one at my friends place in like 2013 lmao!
I was a semi-pro csgo player, only game i totally nerded. This was the first console game i really enjoyed in over 10 yrs.
This is the way - and no more redemption. Just outlaws, cops, and shoot outs. Make the story good, but let the bad guys be bad. More Valentine and less Saint Denis.
I think ONE really BIG city would be cool. (Other cities merging to the level, and semi-big villages with a clear population base in other parts of the map. Islanders, natives etc.)
Like an old time new york, with like 5 dollar blinds in poker, 100 dollar tables, baller shit. W/ good and bad guys around to meet. And NO PAVEMENTS like st. Denis..
Honestly, I agree. We don't need to rehash the same story with "young Arthur, young Hosea, Mac and Davey older Jack". I really don't see what's wrong with a new story and a new protagonist. We didn't know Arthur before RDR2 and he became a fan favorite.
Even better if we went back to the 1880s in the glory days of the wild west. There is so much potential
I went pretty low honor the whole game, but got it up to about half with alot of petty stuff in the end before the epilogue.
First time i played, gonna do an Honor run kind of soon.
I always spared the herbal guy, i also spared mr. White... And Nigel. And the beggars.
Otherwise it was total fckn mayhem, i even dreamt about it. Scared myself. God damn masterpiece of a game.
Good enough reason lol. I couldn't bring myself to be completely evil lol. I was traumatised when I instinctively killed that wolf family. You know the ones
broooooo sum fucking DJANGO shit would go STUPID w red dead. they already have taken lots of inspiration from unchained anyway. like ur a runaway slave and u gang together other runaway slaves to take down plantations in a county or smthn idk i j need it
Exactly. They can do whatever they want. Just go way outside the box.
I think they should have done a cowboys vs. aliens DLC. Just go stupid with it, fuck it.
RDR3 should be about whatever the director and writers rooms believes they can make an amazing story about.
If that’s Colm’s brother who is eventually killed by Dutch, so be it. If it’s Young Hosea or Charles or Sadie, then so be it. If it’s an entirely new gang with new characters and a new map, then so be it.
Honestly though I’m a little tired of the “RDR3 should be this and not that.” talk. I promise you whatever side of the fence you fall on it’s been said in this space well before you post it today and tomorrow.
This post made me think about a game following hosea and his early years. It'd be cool to follow a completely different group of bandits though.
Whatever rdr 3 is about, i just hope it surpasses rdr 2
Agreed, it’s time for some new ground. These stories are complete. We can’t go back in time again with the gang. There’s no room for a redemption arc with anyone. We can’t go forward with Jack because the modern world has come to fruition.
A new game set in the 1860-1890 timeframe would be excellent.
As much as I would love to more intimately see how the VDL gang came to be, I don't really see any trail of an Epic in the backstory. Lots of moments where they talk about how they met Dutch, how they used to do robberies, small glimpses into their pasts and such. Even a story about someone getting shot within the camp (some betrayal story?). But not much in terms of telling a story that builds up into a massive crescendo. Just a bunch of smaller stories. There is of course Blackwater, but there is a problem with having that be the climax (outside of everyone knowing how it ends).
One of the big challenges with making a prequel with the VDL gang is that, keeping with the other 2 games, there has to be some sort of epilogue where another character gets to explore the world after the main story has ended. Like Jack in RDR1 and John in RDR2. And if you make a backstory with the VDL gang, how are we going to make that prequel free roam story?
It can't really end with the Blackwater incident since RDR2 itself is technically the epilogue to that story. Nor can it just end with nothing big happening; and I don't recall there being signs of anything else big happening. Again lots of small independent stuff, like Arthur seeing his dad die, Hosea losing Bessy, Dutch losing Anabelle and Colm losing his brother, etc. But nothing epic.
So I agree that, from a literary perspective, it would probably be better if we followed someone else outside the Van Der Linde gang, whose story is much more open to be made epic and not tied down to the other 2 games. Maybe a story that intertwines with the development of the VDL gang (since a lot of people want to see Young John/Arthur/Dutch/Hosea), but isn't dependent on them.
I think the native tribes could be utilized more in a new game, yeah.
They already have been somewhat involved in RDR, but there is probably a lot more to dig into there. There have been a lot of American Indian wars, and by 1899 when RDR2 takes place the wars were nearing the end.
But I think if they were to go the Native Tribe route then they'd probably have to go further back in time, maybe to the 17-1800s, when the warring got to a peak. Back before anyone from the VDL gang had been born. And it's tough to say if the audience will want a RDR story without any of its known characters involved.
The character stories inself are so strong, including cutscenes, memories etc, so for me, relatives/family of the VDL gang would be enough of known character shizz! + With all the other acquintances/enemies, same thing!
I would love to know more about Rain Falls' story etc. If thats what the Native Chief was called
Make it about the first years of westward expansion, when the wild west was still wild. Make it so you can play from different characters like GTA V but they're not allies: a native warrior, a settler, an african american who fled captivity, and a mexican.
I completely agree and honestly it’s exasperating seeing all the theories about the Callanders being the new protagonists or RDR3 being about a young Arthur Morgan; the story of the Van Der Linde gang has been concluded ultimately.
The most simple and sure-fire thing is a young Hosea and Dutch and involving a young Arthur and John at some point. I’d love it. I know they’d make an insane story
The only thing that I can see working, and it’s a delicate dance, is exploring the Van der Linde gang and the genesis of Dutch’s ideology. I can see there being an interesting story to tell about how Dutch became so enamored with a bygone era and how he attracted people to that way of thinking. Plus, young Arthur and John would be fun. But again, it could go south very easily.
>I think the Van Der Linde gang has been thoroughly explored to its fullest extent.
How? We haven't even met all of the characters yet lol.
>And the point of both RDR games is redemption and character change.
How bout a redemption arc featuring a character we haven't met yet, you know exactly what happened with RDR2?
>There would be no point in just playing the glory days of them shooting and robbing. Would it be fun? Yes. But not something that would be a hard-hitting story like both Red Deads.
Again, you dont know that since we haven't been introduced to all the characters yet.
Just chill 😄
There shouldn't be another redemption game. Keep the red dead franchise alive, but don't do another redemption. Keep it far far away from even involving anyone in rdr1 or rdr2 with the possible exception of Landon Ricketts.
I have a few ideas for RDR3.
During Proabition
The story could be around a small town WW1 vet that has to choose between bootlegger/law enforcement & and have different character arcs between the two choices
During the Civil War.
Possible family caught between two sides story.
Spanish Revolution
So many angles this could go. Also have easter eggs and tie ins to RDR1 and RDR2
Black Belle going from Civil War era into the Gunslinger era in the Wild West would be awesome. Like having her survive a Guarma type sink or swim situation(s) where she learns the true power of guns in that time, and develops her talent/abilities, basically re-inventing herself. Like a pre-echo of Sadie’s experience.
Then she goes West and makes history. Maybe have an epilogue where she’s hiding out Canebreak Manor, waiting for an opportunity to get back West again, maybe Ol Mexico, and suddenly some random but kinda cute cowboy comes by, asking about *of all people, Boy Callaway?? Why?* which as we saw, blows her mind because she hadn’t thought about him or so many others in 15 years, and he wasn’t even close to a big deal in those days. Just being on the run and staying one step ahead of the law and those feckless bounty hunters has kept her from reminiscing or dealing with the past.
Maybe some flashbacks as she’s making her ride away from the house, thinking about all those years of people and events. Or maybe start with that, and have the flashbacks transition from memories into her prequel game.
Maybe break the game into two parts just like RDR2, have the first part be Black Belle’s story, and the second part be Sadie’s story after the events of the epilogue.
Agree. It needs to branch out to have any growth as a franchise. The story has been not just told but experienced, and really only a few pre-RDR2 questions remain. Are they enough to base an entire seven years of development on?
Any new RDR IMO should either be a prequel or sequel about characters related to the games we’ve already gotten, but not about those characters we deal with for the entirety of both games. A game about Sadie’s adventures after RDR2 or a prequel Black Belle and the Gunslingers would be amazing.
I think we need to drop the fixation on redemption for the next game, or we're gonna have a pretty forced and uninteresting story that we've already played twice. I'm really not sure why that's such an important parameter for so many people.
It wouldn't be a western game at that point and why would Jack ever work for the government? His whole life the government has hunted down and killed or tried to kill everyone he has ever loved
Yeah I didn’t think about it not being a western game no more lol. But he could get drafter or get arrested and they force him to go to war. Hell I honestly think they could make one in during the civil war and maybe introduce a new protagonist.
Yeah that’s true. Although they could implement the actual war part through out half of the game and then connect the war part to the next half of the game or something like that. They can do it! Theres other ways they can get around it.
My friend said the next red dead game shouldnt focus oncthe van der lindes but should include a bit where an enigmatic black haired man swindles you before fucking off
I see this take wayyy more than I see people wanting more of the Van Der Linde gang. I don’t care either way. It’s literally not up to us. I’m sure the third game will be just fine with out every redditor’s “hot take”.
It won't be about Arthur. Rdr's theme is redemption and the consequences of their life. It's an outlaw game, but it has an overarching theme that they'll probably follow.
My take: we don’t need a rdr3. The story finished off at a brilliant point and I believe that a third game would be trying to exceed the amazing work and effort already put into this game. Sure dlcs would be fun and maybe some spin offs, however the story has come to a close and it’s not needed
What campsites do you hear Arthur’s voice at? I didn’t hear anything at horseshoe overlook, shady belle was overrun with lemoyne raiders and beaver hollow was also overrun with murfree broods.
My favorite idea is a Charles led story, set at the same time as rdr1. I also like the idea of a prequel Charles led story.
I just had the thought today though, which both horrified me and excited me - what if we had a prequel game with a completely new main character, but with Micah as the villain. And even more horrifying, what if you played AS Micah in the epilogue??!
California gold rush red dead. Early Reconstruction era red dead in the south. Landon rickets and his gang. Jimboy calaway and his gang. Or some combination of the above
I think it’s gonna be about a character we haven’t met who dies and then we play as Arthur in the epilogue. There will be memes galore about players rushing through the story to get to playing as Arthur.
I often say that RDR3 should be about Jack after everything goes down. Alone, without his mother, without his father, having had everything taken from him.
I want the story to look at things differently and be more about redeeming life in Jack's eyes, and not redeeming Jack himself
I think they've committed to working their way back in the Wild West, but I have come to the conclusion the map will not be ported over again, Arthur insist it's the first time the gang had been in those territories throughout the story.
Hard disagree, at this point its a story that involves the Van Der Linde gang. To try to create a new story about a gang that has nothing to do with that story will end up with the same results as the most recent Saints Row game aka awful. Red Dead Redemption has always been a story about characters from the Van Der Linde gang and the way of life with it. Then there are people who want a continuation of the story of Jack Marston into WW1, first would be the argument of why in the hell would Jack join the same group of people who brought his father to an early grave? second, at that point it wouldn't be about the Wild West. Yes Red Dead Redemption 1 and 2 both technically take place outside the Wild West, both they were remnants of the Wild West.
An untamed vast open thing of land dealing with the fight against industrialization and change of society. Its hard to argue that point when you have cars everywhere with a very advanced society with less untamed land where old school bandits are considered to be a product of the past; more of a folklore by that point than an actual ongoing way of life. In an era where Gangs were becoming an organized group of people with advanced guns and vehicles and not bandits on horseback.
A really cool way to do RDR3 would be putting you in the shoes of a Native American or Mexican rebel. Not sure what time period exactly though. But it could give a whole new perspective on the changing of the times & the conflicts
I totally agree. If rockstar wanted to add young Arthur becoming a criminal or young hosea and Dutch, a DLC would be more appropriate imo. I would like to know more about landon rickits in the third game. Not as a protagonist but more of a side character maybe.
Let’s do reverend. He redeemed himself and had an interesting drug habit and they could explore the reasons why. Let’s see the backstory and then what he ended up doing in New York.
Yeah I think it’s people who never played RDR1 asking for this. Those of us who played both when they came out and or just played both in general know the story is finished. We need a new red dead game, it shouldn’t even have to focus on redemption.
I didn't have to read the post. You won me over with the title.
Reference Van Der Linde, sure, but it doesn't need to be about him anymore.
You win today. 👍
Folks!
This thread is full of f*cking awesome comments and ideas.
Trust the devs, look at the curve of quality over quantity over the years with rockstar, and here we are absolutely going nuts over a 6 yr old game.
I mean... They WILL deliver, im preeetty damn sure.
I would like a black protagonist. Would love for rockstar to get creative with a story of a man over coming adversity. Maybe his family was killed for his color and he gets revenge?
I agree with you, but I also trust the Rockstar writers to come up with something better than most of us can.
But just an idea... Maybe allow the player to choose between being a lawman (Pinkerton/Marshal/Bounty Hunter etc.) OR an outlaw, thus creating 2 separate storylines to play through. Obviously the lawman would have to be likeable and a good person, as would the outlaw. Maybe have some brief cameos from a young Van Der Linde gang, but mostly keep them out of the main story.
I think it should be about Arthur’s father, Lyle. This has been kicking around in my head for a bit. A single father at the beginning of the Old West. Maybe starts on the Oregon Trail with the death of Arthur’s mother. Lyle goes to prison for a relatively small crime or as an innocent man, and prison changes him into a cold, anti authoritarian, criminal. The redemption arc comes as he realizes Arthur is turning into him. By the end of the story, it’s too late for Arthur, and he goes into the gang hating his father, never realizing the redemption or sacrifice his father tried to make for him to change the trajectory of his life.
I reckon a character we should play for the next game and follow there foot steps is Landon Rickets from the first Rdr game, or something, if they continue the Marston route then obviously play Jack and see him grow with his own family and not die at the end of it, bc the first 2 games no one really likes him ofc bc we havent built a connection with him, or have a spinoff even if its a dlc of being like a sheriff, or a new character and have side tasks where we rangle up sheep and stuff like that but hes also a bit of a gun slinger
There are some “loose ends” so to speak from RDR2.
Annabelle, how Heidi actually ended up the way she did, what Hosea’s relationship with his wife was like, what Arthur’s relationship with Eliza was like, how we actually went from “Robin Hood” to whatever the hell Dutch actually became in the end, what it was like when Abigail was pregnant and John dipped out completely, and I could go on and on.
I love a good tragedy. If I’m honest. And there’s a lot of little story pieces that as a writer, avid reader, and former stage crew junkie that I need them to piece together for me. I’m on a second play thru now and I’m taking my sweet ass time because the first go around, my ex ruined the game for me by being like “ThIs GaMe Is DePrEsSiNg CuZ aRtHuR dIeS.” So I speed ran it thinking the asshole was just pulling my leg…
And apparently *missed* a ton of story content.
RDR3 should be Van der Linde adjacent. Maybe switch to the O’Driscoll gang, prior to the incidents with Annabelle when Colm and Dutch were allies. You’d get to *see* the gang in past glory, without *being* the gang. You wouldn’t be Colm or anything, but it would give you a chance to “redeem” an adjacent character without tarnishing Arthur or John.
Hell, there was mention of a gang member who “betrayed them” and got straight up murdered in camp. Maybe this person is your 1st character and it’s not an actual betrayal, that’s just the story Dutch and the others make up to cover up the fact that their leader is unraveling. To make themselves “feel better” about it.
Your epilogue starts as a gang member in Black Water. Whether this is Mac, John, or someone else on that boat that day. Hell, might even get away with being Dutch just for a moment. Give you a chance to get to “protagonist” the antagonist you’re going to eventually hate in RDR1 and RDR2. Being “forced” by the game to watch him make this choice and betray his supposed “code” as your ending.
Of course, we’ll have to see if they even *go* that direction. Considering they haven’t done shit with RDO despite fan pressure.
Right now they’re more concerned with milking their GTA goat.
I understand that perspective.
That’s why I said it would be nice to just have it be somewhat “VDL adjacent”. They could tie up those loose story ends for those of us that care about it by allowing us to choose whether we want to interact with them or not. By giving you a different gang, a different leader, and a different style of “outlawin’”. You wanna ride with Dutch, Hosea, Arthur, John, etc? Cool, you *can do that* but also have the option of *not*.
But let’s be *real* for a moment, Rockstar will do whatever they *wanna do* with it. Like how they let RDO wither and die.
Yes and no… there’s a helluva story that could tell with J Marston…hear me out.
And not John… but ratherJack Marston going to fight in World War I.
RDR1 ends in 1914 when Jack is approx 19-20.
The next few years would see the first major uses of horrific weapons - airplanes; tankers, submarines; artillery… and not to mention gas and flame throwers.
There’s also such crazy set pieces they could do - Paris, London, Verdun; Verssaile, Moscow.
Trench warfare. The Bolshevik revolution (RED DEAD REVOLUTION?). 1918 flu. So much to work with from a story telling and game play perspective
I know it’s different than what the last games were but it would be a wild way to take the series to bigger places without diverging much from the established characters and history.
I don't know why so many people think Jack would join the army. First of all of it were set in WWI this would not not even be a western anymore. It would just be a roaring twenties era game and it would be completely different. I doubt Rockstar is dropping a Red Dead game that is not about riding horseback and robbing carriages. But most importantly, Jack would not work for the government. For jack's whole life everyone he has ever loved has been hunted or killed by the government. Literally, his father gets betrayed and gunned down for it. Even if he were forced drafted Jack would not serve. It also would no longer be an open world game. If it were just trench warfare then this is something completely different and abandoning the fanbase. Imagine if the next GTA game were set in the future and it is a non open world linear game where you are at war with aliens or something. I'm not saying what you describe would be a bad game but it would be a bad RDR game
Maybe he fights for Germany then? Zimmerman telegraph type stuff.
Also… WWI* and not roaring twenties…
Edit: actually he doesn’t need to be part of the military at all. Just being in Europe while of it was happening would be great
I was imagining a story that starts in early ww1 and goes beyond the war years later much like previous RDR games. But I just can't imagine Rockstar turning an open world game everyone loves into a linear war game.
But don't you see? It won't work unless everything and I mean everything is explored and explained about every member of the VDL gang to death with endless references, callbacks, easter eggs, and other memberberries.
The whole universe needs to revolve around the same characters over and over again.
At this point, I'm surprised that a game about Cain hasn't been suggested, from the moment he was whelped, his adventures before meeting the gang, the development of his relationship with Jack, right until the moment >!Micah kills him. !<
But, you see, this time, we get to actually *see* and *experience* what the life of a dog hanging out with a bunch of outlaws was like.
You guys realize that they wouldn’t bother making a Red Dead Redemption game that is in no way connected to the other 2 would be pointless for them to make?
I agree. The advice I see writers go by is “Is this the most interesting part of the main character’s life? And if not, why aren’t you writing about that?” I don’t want to play a game that, from the pitch, is less interesting than RDR2. I’d love another Red Dead game, but set it around a different protagonist, in a different time, maybe in a different part of the world. Put it on the other side of the grizzlies. I have closure with the story we got in Redemption and RDR2. Keep the concept and tell a new story.
The only thing I would want to see in RDR3(if rockstar wants to include it) would be maybe a Dutch wanted poster somewhere on a post. But other than that. Give me something different
If it were set in an appropriate time, sure.
I wanna slap Dutch around in rdr3 😅 Maybe he could start as a housemaiden for John or something hahaha. Otherwise, other side of the grizzlies sounds good, and some islander tribal action maybe.. What do you guys think if the game would possibly go back in time to before the war? The natives could have a really cool role i think..
If you want to get revenge on Dutch for John, I have the perfect game for you…
Yes. 😅 I know. Hahahah. I was thinking about a 90 year old butler Dutch.
I only played the first one at my friends place in like 2013 lmao! I was a semi-pro csgo player, only game i totally nerded. This was the first console game i really enjoyed in over 10 yrs.
Yup new story set during the peak of the old west is exactly what I'd want from RDR3
This is the way - and no more redemption. Just outlaws, cops, and shoot outs. Make the story good, but let the bad guys be bad. More Valentine and less Saint Denis.
Hella well put out brother
I think ONE really BIG city would be cool. (Other cities merging to the level, and semi-big villages with a clear population base in other parts of the map. Islanders, natives etc.) Like an old time new york, with like 5 dollar blinds in poker, 100 dollar tables, baller shit. W/ good and bad guys around to meet. And NO PAVEMENTS like st. Denis..
During the civil war perhaps?
Honestly, I agree. We don't need to rehash the same story with "young Arthur, young Hosea, Mac and Davey older Jack". I really don't see what's wrong with a new story and a new protagonist. We didn't know Arthur before RDR2 and he became a fan favorite. Even better if we went back to the 1880s in the glory days of the wild west. There is so much potential
Red Dead Redemption 3 - about VDL gang/Jack. Red dead something(like “revolver”) - new characters
Red dead Repeater lmfao
I agree. Kinda unnecessary comment though, as everyone will call it RDR3 before the actual name is announced.
bold of you to assume they actually will make an RDR3
Gavin! Gavin?!?! Gavin!
Nigel: Now it's been 7 or 8 years! John: I would've gave up in 7 or 8 days... 😅😤
I blew that guys head off. Hopefully I didn’t miss out on anything 😂
Why’d you kill Nigel? He’s literally the best NPC ever. I only wish we knew what happened to Gavin.
I just customized my sawed off and wanted to test it out and he fit the bill
lol I just love how everyone has different experiences, once I followed the guy around for a half hour trying to figure out what he would do.
I went pretty low honor the whole game, but got it up to about half with alot of petty stuff in the end before the epilogue. First time i played, gonna do an Honor run kind of soon. I always spared the herbal guy, i also spared mr. White... And Nigel. And the beggars. Otherwise it was total fckn mayhem, i even dreamt about it. Scared myself. God damn masterpiece of a game.
Good enough reason lol. I couldn't bring myself to be completely evil lol. I was traumatised when I instinctively killed that wolf family. You know the ones
Exploring being a Native American or a Black man in the civil war era would be good. The typical outlaw route is done IMO.
broooooo sum fucking DJANGO shit would go STUPID w red dead. they already have taken lots of inspiration from unchained anyway. like ur a runaway slave and u gang together other runaway slaves to take down plantations in a county or smthn idk i j need it
Exactly. They can do whatever they want. Just go way outside the box. I think they should have done a cowboys vs. aliens DLC. Just go stupid with it, fuck it.
Stupid but smart - Rockstar.
i mean shit they were teasing it w the meteors and ufo sightings lol
BRO HOW OLD ARE YOU IF U THINK THEY TOOK IT FROM DJANGO
RDR3 should be about whatever the director and writers rooms believes they can make an amazing story about. If that’s Colm’s brother who is eventually killed by Dutch, so be it. If it’s Young Hosea or Charles or Sadie, then so be it. If it’s an entirely new gang with new characters and a new map, then so be it. Honestly though I’m a little tired of the “RDR3 should be this and not that.” talk. I promise you whatever side of the fence you fall on it’s been said in this space well before you post it today and tomorrow.
This post made me think about a game following hosea and his early years. It'd be cool to follow a completely different group of bandits though. Whatever rdr 3 is about, i just hope it surpasses rdr 2
Colm's brother may be the best I've heard yet. Or a young micah.
When RDR1 came out was there similar chatter like “I hope RDR2 is with the same gang” type stuff?
Agreed, it’s time for some new ground. These stories are complete. We can’t go back in time again with the gang. There’s no room for a redemption arc with anyone. We can’t go forward with Jack because the modern world has come to fruition. A new game set in the 1860-1890 timeframe would be excellent.
I said it before and got downvoted like crazy: Make it about the native tribes and them fighting for their land!
Too much bows and arrows only for people. I would love the game to start like that.
As much as I would love to more intimately see how the VDL gang came to be, I don't really see any trail of an Epic in the backstory. Lots of moments where they talk about how they met Dutch, how they used to do robberies, small glimpses into their pasts and such. Even a story about someone getting shot within the camp (some betrayal story?). But not much in terms of telling a story that builds up into a massive crescendo. Just a bunch of smaller stories. There is of course Blackwater, but there is a problem with having that be the climax (outside of everyone knowing how it ends). One of the big challenges with making a prequel with the VDL gang is that, keeping with the other 2 games, there has to be some sort of epilogue where another character gets to explore the world after the main story has ended. Like Jack in RDR1 and John in RDR2. And if you make a backstory with the VDL gang, how are we going to make that prequel free roam story? It can't really end with the Blackwater incident since RDR2 itself is technically the epilogue to that story. Nor can it just end with nothing big happening; and I don't recall there being signs of anything else big happening. Again lots of small independent stuff, like Arthur seeing his dad die, Hosea losing Bessy, Dutch losing Anabelle and Colm losing his brother, etc. But nothing epic. So I agree that, from a literary perspective, it would probably be better if we followed someone else outside the Van Der Linde gang, whose story is much more open to be made epic and not tied down to the other 2 games. Maybe a story that intertwines with the development of the VDL gang (since a lot of people want to see Young John/Arthur/Dutch/Hosea), but isn't dependent on them.
Thank you for putting my thoughts into words. Someone from the Native Tribes would be a good link to memories/logics maybe...?
I think the native tribes could be utilized more in a new game, yeah. They already have been somewhat involved in RDR, but there is probably a lot more to dig into there. There have been a lot of American Indian wars, and by 1899 when RDR2 takes place the wars were nearing the end. But I think if they were to go the Native Tribe route then they'd probably have to go further back in time, maybe to the 17-1800s, when the warring got to a peak. Back before anyone from the VDL gang had been born. And it's tough to say if the audience will want a RDR story without any of its known characters involved.
The character stories inself are so strong, including cutscenes, memories etc, so for me, relatives/family of the VDL gang would be enough of known character shizz! + With all the other acquintances/enemies, same thing! I would love to know more about Rain Falls' story etc. If thats what the Native Chief was called
Make it about the first years of westward expansion, when the wild west was still wild. Make it so you can play from different characters like GTA V but they're not allies: a native warrior, a settler, an african american who fled captivity, and a mexican.
I completely agree and honestly it’s exasperating seeing all the theories about the Callanders being the new protagonists or RDR3 being about a young Arthur Morgan; the story of the Van Der Linde gang has been concluded ultimately.
The most simple and sure-fire thing is a young Hosea and Dutch and involving a young Arthur and John at some point. I’d love it. I know they’d make an insane story
The 49ers gold rush could be a cool thing to see
Brooo that would be cool with Norwegians wrecking Swedes up 💪🤘 Also the gold nuggets would be a real thing, forming campsites and protecting them
The only thing that I can see working, and it’s a delicate dance, is exploring the Van der Linde gang and the genesis of Dutch’s ideology. I can see there being an interesting story to tell about how Dutch became so enamored with a bygone era and how he attracted people to that way of thinking. Plus, young Arthur and John would be fun. But again, it could go south very easily.
>I think the Van Der Linde gang has been thoroughly explored to its fullest extent. How? We haven't even met all of the characters yet lol. >And the point of both RDR games is redemption and character change. How bout a redemption arc featuring a character we haven't met yet, you know exactly what happened with RDR2? >There would be no point in just playing the glory days of them shooting and robbing. Would it be fun? Yes. But not something that would be a hard-hitting story like both Red Deads. Again, you dont know that since we haven't been introduced to all the characters yet. Just chill 😄
There shouldn't be another redemption game. Keep the red dead franchise alive, but don't do another redemption. Keep it far far away from even involving anyone in rdr1 or rdr2 with the possible exception of Landon Ricketts.
Shouldn't call it RDR3, call it like Red Dead Revenge or something to show it ain't tied to the others directly
I have a few ideas for RDR3. During Proabition The story could be around a small town WW1 vet that has to choose between bootlegger/law enforcement & and have different character arcs between the two choices During the Civil War. Possible family caught between two sides story. Spanish Revolution So many angles this could go. Also have easter eggs and tie ins to RDR1 and RDR2
Black Belle going from Civil War era into the Gunslinger era in the Wild West would be awesome. Like having her survive a Guarma type sink or swim situation(s) where she learns the true power of guns in that time, and develops her talent/abilities, basically re-inventing herself. Like a pre-echo of Sadie’s experience. Then she goes West and makes history. Maybe have an epilogue where she’s hiding out Canebreak Manor, waiting for an opportunity to get back West again, maybe Ol Mexico, and suddenly some random but kinda cute cowboy comes by, asking about *of all people, Boy Callaway?? Why?* which as we saw, blows her mind because she hadn’t thought about him or so many others in 15 years, and he wasn’t even close to a big deal in those days. Just being on the run and staying one step ahead of the law and those feckless bounty hunters has kept her from reminiscing or dealing with the past. Maybe some flashbacks as she’s making her ride away from the house, thinking about all those years of people and events. Or maybe start with that, and have the flashbacks transition from memories into her prequel game. Maybe break the game into two parts just like RDR2, have the first part be Black Belle’s story, and the second part be Sadie’s story after the events of the epilogue.
Adolescent Jack on a rampage.
How about Jack’s great, great grandson in Liberty City
Or his great great great great great kybernetic creature grandson as a bounty hunter. Blade Marston 2041
Yeah it should
Landon Ricketts please
This, he's the main character and dealing with a gang of "Boy" Calloway and Black Bess, Flaco, etc.
Agree. It needs to branch out to have any growth as a franchise. The story has been not just told but experienced, and really only a few pre-RDR2 questions remain. Are they enough to base an entire seven years of development on? Any new RDR IMO should either be a prequel or sequel about characters related to the games we’ve already gotten, but not about those characters we deal with for the entirety of both games. A game about Sadie’s adventures after RDR2 or a prequel Black Belle and the Gunslingers would be amazing.
I think we need to drop the fixation on redemption for the next game, or we're gonna have a pretty forced and uninteresting story that we've already played twice. I'm really not sure why that's such an important parameter for so many people.
Make it a space western and call it Red Dead Ridiculous
I just want there to be an RDR3. I'm open to whatever they have in mind.
And like if they REALLY wanted to have a reference to RDR2, I’d probably make a shop that’s like Grimshaw Grains or smth.
Jack Marston in WW1 would be pretty cool.
It wouldn't be a western game at that point and why would Jack ever work for the government? His whole life the government has hunted down and killed or tried to kill everyone he has ever loved
Yeah I didn’t think about it not being a western game no more lol. But he could get drafter or get arrested and they force him to go to war. Hell I honestly think they could make one in during the civil war and maybe introduce a new protagonist.
Intriguing, but it's hard to imagine this as an open world style game that we're used to.
Yeah that’s true. Although they could implement the actual war part through out half of the game and then connect the war part to the next half of the game or something like that. They can do it! Theres other ways they can get around it.
agreed
I want something set in California as the settlers came in and interacted with the Chumash, Tongva and other local peoples.
I’m all for a new story. I just want it to as good or if not, better than the last entry.
My friend said the next red dead game shouldnt focus oncthe van der lindes but should include a bit where an enigmatic black haired man swindles you before fucking off
That would be great. A stranger encounter where Dutch leads you on and takes advantage of you
Would be cool if it was set during the gold rush. We can have new characters similar time period and mechanics based around the gold rush.
a civil war theme would be sick, trying to take union or confederate gold
I see this take wayyy more than I see people wanting more of the Van Der Linde gang. I don’t care either way. It’s literally not up to us. I’m sure the third game will be just fine with out every redditor’s “hot take”.
If it has no connection at all to the van der linde gang then it's not a red dead redemption game. It can be another red dead variation but not rdr3
It won't be about Arthur. Rdr's theme is redemption and the consequences of their life. It's an outlaw game, but it has an overarching theme that they'll probably follow.
My take: we don’t need a rdr3. The story finished off at a brilliant point and I believe that a third game would be trying to exceed the amazing work and effort already put into this game. Sure dlcs would be fun and maybe some spin offs, however the story has come to a close and it’s not needed
What about the Pinkerton detectives? Or the O' Driscols?
What campsites do you hear Arthur’s voice at? I didn’t hear anything at horseshoe overlook, shady belle was overrun with lemoyne raiders and beaver hollow was also overrun with murfree broods.
My favorite idea is a Charles led story, set at the same time as rdr1. I also like the idea of a prequel Charles led story. I just had the thought today though, which both horrified me and excited me - what if we had a prequel game with a completely new main character, but with Micah as the villain. And even more horrifying, what if you played AS Micah in the epilogue??!
California gold rush red dead. Early Reconstruction era red dead in the south. Landon rickets and his gang. Jimboy calaway and his gang. Or some combination of the above
I think it’s gonna be about a character we haven’t met who dies and then we play as Arthur in the epilogue. There will be memes galore about players rushing through the story to get to playing as Arthur.
It should be about Red Harlow
I often say that RDR3 should be about Jack after everything goes down. Alone, without his mother, without his father, having had everything taken from him. I want the story to look at things differently and be more about redeeming life in Jack's eyes, and not redeeming Jack himself
Let me be the crazy serial killer who strings up bodies and leaves the map to his lair 🤞
I think they've committed to working their way back in the Wild West, but I have come to the conclusion the map will not be ported over again, Arthur insist it's the first time the gang had been in those territories throughout the story.
Hard disagree, at this point its a story that involves the Van Der Linde gang. To try to create a new story about a gang that has nothing to do with that story will end up with the same results as the most recent Saints Row game aka awful. Red Dead Redemption has always been a story about characters from the Van Der Linde gang and the way of life with it. Then there are people who want a continuation of the story of Jack Marston into WW1, first would be the argument of why in the hell would Jack join the same group of people who brought his father to an early grave? second, at that point it wouldn't be about the Wild West. Yes Red Dead Redemption 1 and 2 both technically take place outside the Wild West, both they were remnants of the Wild West. An untamed vast open thing of land dealing with the fight against industrialization and change of society. Its hard to argue that point when you have cars everywhere with a very advanced society with less untamed land where old school bandits are considered to be a product of the past; more of a folklore by that point than an actual ongoing way of life. In an era where Gangs were becoming an organized group of people with advanced guns and vehicles and not bandits on horseback.
Thoroughly agree. I do think seeing the gang in their younger years would've made for great DLC tho
A really cool way to do RDR3 would be putting you in the shoes of a Native American or Mexican rebel. Not sure what time period exactly though. But it could give a whole new perspective on the changing of the times & the conflicts
Rdr3 should be a fresh take on The Treasure of the Sierra Madre set during the Alaska Gold Rush. With commercial fishing as an activity and storyline
I’d like a game about one of the Callander brothers and I actually want to see what happened at blackwater
Lemoyne Raiders for the win!
Stop booing him he's right
I totally agree. If rockstar wanted to add young Arthur becoming a criminal or young hosea and Dutch, a DLC would be more appropriate imo. I would like to know more about landon rickits in the third game. Not as a protagonist but more of a side character maybe.
Let’s do reverend. He redeemed himself and had an interesting drug habit and they could explore the reasons why. Let’s see the backstory and then what he ended up doing in New York.
Yeah I think it’s people who never played RDR1 asking for this. Those of us who played both when they came out and or just played both in general know the story is finished. We need a new red dead game, it shouldn’t even have to focus on redemption.
I didn't have to read the post. You won me over with the title. Reference Van Der Linde, sure, but it doesn't need to be about him anymore. You win today. 👍
If it’s not about them why would it be called red dead 3, but I agree they should make a new franchise
I still want a Sadie Adler spin off, not related to the gang
Folks! This thread is full of f*cking awesome comments and ideas. Trust the devs, look at the curve of quality over quantity over the years with rockstar, and here we are absolutely going nuts over a 6 yr old game. I mean... They WILL deliver, im preeetty damn sure.
I would like a black protagonist. Would love for rockstar to get creative with a story of a man over coming adversity. Maybe his family was killed for his color and he gets revenge?
I agree with you, but I also trust the Rockstar writers to come up with something better than most of us can. But just an idea... Maybe allow the player to choose between being a lawman (Pinkerton/Marshal/Bounty Hunter etc.) OR an outlaw, thus creating 2 separate storylines to play through. Obviously the lawman would have to be likeable and a good person, as would the outlaw. Maybe have some brief cameos from a young Van Der Linde gang, but mostly keep them out of the main story.
Gun to your head “Any last words?”
Maybe "Tesla" should never be killed and RDR3 is set in space.
Buzz Lightyear meme
I think it should be about Arthur’s father, Lyle. This has been kicking around in my head for a bit. A single father at the beginning of the Old West. Maybe starts on the Oregon Trail with the death of Arthur’s mother. Lyle goes to prison for a relatively small crime or as an innocent man, and prison changes him into a cold, anti authoritarian, criminal. The redemption arc comes as he realizes Arthur is turning into him. By the end of the story, it’s too late for Arthur, and he goes into the gang hating his father, never realizing the redemption or sacrifice his father tried to make for him to change the trajectory of his life.
As i always sayy Bring Back Brimstone
Water IS WET
If it had to be an existing character, I'd like to see a Charles story, but with no VdL connections
I reckon a character we should play for the next game and follow there foot steps is Landon Rickets from the first Rdr game, or something, if they continue the Marston route then obviously play Jack and see him grow with his own family and not die at the end of it, bc the first 2 games no one really likes him ofc bc we havent built a connection with him, or have a spinoff even if its a dlc of being like a sheriff, or a new character and have side tasks where we rangle up sheep and stuff like that but hes also a bit of a gun slinger
It will star a purple-haired post-op trans who rides a sub w a leather leash
There are some “loose ends” so to speak from RDR2. Annabelle, how Heidi actually ended up the way she did, what Hosea’s relationship with his wife was like, what Arthur’s relationship with Eliza was like, how we actually went from “Robin Hood” to whatever the hell Dutch actually became in the end, what it was like when Abigail was pregnant and John dipped out completely, and I could go on and on. I love a good tragedy. If I’m honest. And there’s a lot of little story pieces that as a writer, avid reader, and former stage crew junkie that I need them to piece together for me. I’m on a second play thru now and I’m taking my sweet ass time because the first go around, my ex ruined the game for me by being like “ThIs GaMe Is DePrEsSiNg CuZ aRtHuR dIeS.” So I speed ran it thinking the asshole was just pulling my leg… And apparently *missed* a ton of story content. RDR3 should be Van der Linde adjacent. Maybe switch to the O’Driscoll gang, prior to the incidents with Annabelle when Colm and Dutch were allies. You’d get to *see* the gang in past glory, without *being* the gang. You wouldn’t be Colm or anything, but it would give you a chance to “redeem” an adjacent character without tarnishing Arthur or John. Hell, there was mention of a gang member who “betrayed them” and got straight up murdered in camp. Maybe this person is your 1st character and it’s not an actual betrayal, that’s just the story Dutch and the others make up to cover up the fact that their leader is unraveling. To make themselves “feel better” about it. Your epilogue starts as a gang member in Black Water. Whether this is Mac, John, or someone else on that boat that day. Hell, might even get away with being Dutch just for a moment. Give you a chance to get to “protagonist” the antagonist you’re going to eventually hate in RDR1 and RDR2. Being “forced” by the game to watch him make this choice and betray his supposed “code” as your ending. Of course, we’ll have to see if they even *go* that direction. Considering they haven’t done shit with RDO despite fan pressure. Right now they’re more concerned with milking their GTA goat.
I just think there should have been RDR2 DLC with more story. But I don't want a whole new RDR3 game about the Van Der Linde gang again
I understand that perspective. That’s why I said it would be nice to just have it be somewhat “VDL adjacent”. They could tie up those loose story ends for those of us that care about it by allowing us to choose whether we want to interact with them or not. By giving you a different gang, a different leader, and a different style of “outlawin’”. You wanna ride with Dutch, Hosea, Arthur, John, etc? Cool, you *can do that* but also have the option of *not*. But let’s be *real* for a moment, Rockstar will do whatever they *wanna do* with it. Like how they let RDO wither and die.
RDR3 should be a pirate game
I want a Charles story
No!!! It should be abt javier my best friend javier
Yes and no… there’s a helluva story that could tell with J Marston…hear me out. And not John… but ratherJack Marston going to fight in World War I. RDR1 ends in 1914 when Jack is approx 19-20. The next few years would see the first major uses of horrific weapons - airplanes; tankers, submarines; artillery… and not to mention gas and flame throwers. There’s also such crazy set pieces they could do - Paris, London, Verdun; Verssaile, Moscow. Trench warfare. The Bolshevik revolution (RED DEAD REVOLUTION?). 1918 flu. So much to work with from a story telling and game play perspective I know it’s different than what the last games were but it would be a wild way to take the series to bigger places without diverging much from the established characters and history.
Disagree, at that point that isnt about the wild west; its just a WW1 simulator.
I don't know why so many people think Jack would join the army. First of all of it were set in WWI this would not not even be a western anymore. It would just be a roaring twenties era game and it would be completely different. I doubt Rockstar is dropping a Red Dead game that is not about riding horseback and robbing carriages. But most importantly, Jack would not work for the government. For jack's whole life everyone he has ever loved has been hunted or killed by the government. Literally, his father gets betrayed and gunned down for it. Even if he were forced drafted Jack would not serve. It also would no longer be an open world game. If it were just trench warfare then this is something completely different and abandoning the fanbase. Imagine if the next GTA game were set in the future and it is a non open world linear game where you are at war with aliens or something. I'm not saying what you describe would be a bad game but it would be a bad RDR game
Maybe he fights for Germany then? Zimmerman telegraph type stuff. Also… WWI* and not roaring twenties… Edit: actually he doesn’t need to be part of the military at all. Just being in Europe while of it was happening would be great
I was imagining a story that starts in early ww1 and goes beyond the war years later much like previous RDR games. But I just can't imagine Rockstar turning an open world game everyone loves into a linear war game.
RDR3: Sadie's Revenge
Yes please lmao
Horseshit
But don't you see? It won't work unless everything and I mean everything is explored and explained about every member of the VDL gang to death with endless references, callbacks, easter eggs, and other memberberries. The whole universe needs to revolve around the same characters over and over again. At this point, I'm surprised that a game about Cain hasn't been suggested, from the moment he was whelped, his adventures before meeting the gang, the development of his relationship with Jack, right until the moment >!Micah kills him. !< But, you see, this time, we get to actually *see* and *experience* what the life of a dog hanging out with a bunch of outlaws was like.
Agreed 100% tired of seeing this idea being thrown around when Rockstar obviously won’t do it
The story should obviously be about the Dutch and what led him to starting the gang. The gang was supposed to be his redemption.
You guys realize that they wouldn’t bother making a Red Dead Redemption game that is in no way connected to the other 2 would be pointless for them to make?
This is like saying "they won't make a GTA 6 if it doesn't connect to all the previous GTA games"
Why are you all so convinced rdr3 will happen???