Rockstar Games has a reputation for stellar games that take years to develop. Given that manyRockstar titles likeMidnight Clubhave fallen to the wayside, it seems like Rockstar will be defined byGrand Theft AutoandRed Dead Redemptionfor the foreseeable future. That’s not really a bad thing either, asGrand Theft Auto 5was released back in 2013 and has thus far spanned two generations of consoles, and it has been a dominant force on the market ever since.
WhenGrand Theft Auto 5 Expanded and Enhancedlaunches on PS5 and Xbox Series Xnext year, that’ll be a total of three generations. The most recent trailer, however, caught a lot of flak online because it doesn’t seem too much has actually changed. The final product could be different, but either way, it’ll likely still manage to sell like hotcakes.
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Beyond that, Rockstar is reportedly releasingGTA Remastered Trilogysometime in 2022, likely much later thanGTA 5.This collection reportedly includesGTA 3, Vice City, andSan Andreas, something many fans of the franchise almost certainly welcome. While rumors should be treat as just rumors and nothing more, it helps that Take-Two (Rockstar’s parent company) is known to be working on a series of remasters and remakes—even if it’s not something Rockstar typically does.
Perhaps even more exciting is the idea that Rockstar will do a full-on remake, or at least a remaster, of the originalRed Dead Redemption. This begs a very important question: ifGTA 5is being enhanced before its remasters release, where doesRed Dead Redemption 2fit into this equation? After all, despite releasing in 2018 and being one of the most beautiful and detailed games on the PS4 and Xbox One, it has yet to receive any sort of upgrade for the PS5 and Xbox Series X.
Certainly, there is the case forRed Dead Redemption 2to get the same treatment asGrand Theft Auto 5, as while the latter is more successful, both remain as giants in the gaming industry. Given the year differences between the two releases as well, doingGTA 5first also seems like the better decision, but the exact contents ofGTA 5 Expanded and Enhancedhasn’t really been confirmed yet. Fans are expecting better performance, new cars, and seemingly new content (otherwise “Expanded and Enhanced” may seem like overkill), yet other than the first two, thenew content may very well just be forGTA Online.
GTA Online, as the powerhouse behindGTA 5’s sales, is getting its own standalone release, and it stands to reason that it’ll be the focus of its ventures moving forward. In turn, assuming thatGTA Onlinewill get more PS5/XSX support thanGTA 5itself, it’s curious whyRDR2hasn’t gotten anything.
Now, of course, development is a complicated process; it’s not so simple as pressing a button, writing some code, or giving Sony/Microsoft a thumbs up. Add in the pandemic, and that makes it even more complicated. Yet, with whatfans saw in theGTA 5 Enhanced and Expandedtrailer, it seems thatRed Dead 2could get similar, or better, upgrades based just on that.
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PerhapsRed Dead 2’s graphical prowessis its own enemy. If fans are upset about a game that was released in 2013 that re-released in 2014-2015 that is re-re-releasing in 2022 not looking all that different, then the same would likely go forRed Dead 2. Yet, “Expanded and Enhanced” does imply taking things further, and whileRed Dead Onlinehas come a long way, the single-player content ofRDR2is the real draw. More would indubitably be welcome, but it wouldn’t be as successful asGTA Online, it seems.
WhereasGTA Onlinewith new content updates seems like it’ll be the bread and butter of this upcoming release (still),RDOdoesn’t have the same appeal. WhileGTA 5is indeed likely, or at least hopefully, going to benefit due to itsGTA Onlineproximity, the same cannot be said of therelationship betweenRed Dead 2andRDO.
Of course, since a properRed Dead Redemption 3doesn’t seem likely to releasebefore the end of the decade (or much sooner than it), Rockstar may be waiting a little longer to have more experience with the new tech to really dialRed Dead 2to the next level. Ultimately, this is speculation and no one outside Rockstar knows where theRed Dead 2 Enhanced and Expanded Edition, or even just general upgrades, is.
GTA 5/GTA Online, arguably, is the better game to focus on in terms of business and profitability. The aforementioned backlash is not going to slow sales of the new edition, yet neither is Rockstar bound to follow the same pattern. Just because it seemsGTA 5is getting worked on ahead of a couple of remasters doesn’t meanRed Dead 1 Remasterwill release beforeRed Dead 2’s upgrades. Truly, it depends on how far each of these goes. A remaster is not as complicated as a ground-up remake, and there is a case forRed Dead 1to get the latter instead of the former.
If it does go on to become a full remake, it seems obviousRed Dead 2’s upgrade would come first. If Rockstar does have a secondary reason for not upgradingRed Dead 2properly, then, well, it’s anyone’s court on when what releases regardless of what comes before. Indeed, there’s a lot on the plate of Rockstar—maybe even more than a powerhouse like it can chew—but betweenGTA 5, GTA Online, the rumored remastered trilogy ofGTAgames,Red Dead Online’s ongoing support, potentialRed Dead 2upgrades, and any work onRDR1, Rockstar has to prioritize andRDR2in and of itself stand strong on its own.
Red Dead Redemption 2is available now for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.
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