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‘Red Dead Redemption 2’ Confirmed After Xbox One Backward Compatibility Success?

By Patrick Frye
Published on: 05:03 PST, Jul 12, 2016

Red Dead Redemption 2 might still be on its way, but for now, it’s all speculation. The first one hit in May of 2010 and proved to be one of Rockstar Games’ bestsellers, while actually being a sequel itself. It told the story of John Marston, a former outlaw whose family was taken hostage by the U.S. government in order to make him serve them as a hired gun. His targets were the people he once broke the law with.

RDR introduced a gameplay mechanic which was recycled with Infamous: Second Son and Watch Dogs. You had to keep track of your actions and enforce your reputation, good or bad, and it was reflected in how the NPCs interacted with you. Of course, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic did the same thing in 2003, although it would be spoiling the ending to go too far into it.

It was rumored that Red Dead Redemption 2 was going to have an official announcement at E3 2016, but due to recent real-world events, the announcement had been postponed. It’s unclear if the game itself is being postponed, or if the game even exists yet. The gameplay trailer was said to feature the game’s main character walking into a saloon and shooting everybody in it, which was too close to the events in Orlando, Florida, where a gunman walked into a nightclub and killed 49 patrons before ending his own life. The release of a trailer like that would have been poorly timed, and Rockstar Games has yet to confirm if it was even going to happen.

The recent release of the original Red Dead Redemption via Xbox One backward compatibility has met with almost a roaring success. Many reviewers pointed out that the game runs even better on the Xbox One, and some have said it would be a great time for Rockstar Games to officially announce Red Dead Redemption 2, or whatever title they plan to give it.

Recent years have been riddled with ports, remakes, and remasters, starting with The Last of Us on PS4, the game of the year for the launch lineup. Others have followed, such as the recent Dead Island Definitive Collection, the upcoming Batman: Return to Arkham, Dishonored, and the BioShock collection in August.

It’s possible that the initial success of Red Dead Redemption may have been responsible for the ongoing popularity of AMC‘s Hell on Wheels, which seems to mirror the game in concept aside from the time period. Much like Breaking Bad, it features a man drawn to bad choices in a world where nobody is a clear hero.

If Red Dead Redemption 2 does get the proverbial green light after the last one’s Xbox One backward compatibility success, it will likely follow the story of John’s son, Jack. It could also be a prequel, where the gamer is charged with turning a regular cowboy into a known criminal by teaming up with some others on a wild west rampage. The latter has the potential to give the game a four-player co-op mode in which each gamer takes on a different member of a posse, much like Dead Island.

It has been rumored that the next four titles on Xbox One’s backward compatibility list will be the BioShock collection (just in time for a comparison to the remasters) and Skate. The latter was Electronic Arts’ successful attempt to take over where Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater failed, bringing the controls to a more realistic level.

Are you ready for a sequel to Rockstar Games’ Western hit? If the success of the Xbox One backward compatibility release is any indication, Red Dead Redemption 2 could be on its way.

[Image via Rockstar Games]

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