New ‘Red Dead Redemption 2’ Trailer Reveals Main Character And Prequel Setting

The question over what the second Red Dead Redemption 2 trailer would reveal was answered Thursday. Rockstar Games continued its slow drip method of information for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One open-world western by introducing the main character with very little background information and no additional information on a release date, other features, or a PC release. There is one pretty big reveal, however.

The minute-and-a-half-long Red Dead Redemption 2 trailer introduces an outlaw named Arthur Morgan. He’s a member of the Van der Linde gang, and they are attempting to “rob, fight and steal their way across the vast and rugged heart of America in order to survive.”

Veteran Red Dead Redemption players should immediately recognize the mention of the Van der Linde gang plus the reveal of Dutch Van der Linde toward the end. This confirms Red Dead Redemption 2 is actually a prequel. Additionally, while players may not control the previous protagonist, John Marston, it seems likely that Morgan and Marston will eventually cross paths.

Red Dead Redemption 2 appears to be largely single-player focused so far from the trailers. Rockstar once again implies that players will either have additional characters that serve as partners or possibly that can be controlled similarly to Grand Theft Auto V.

The trailer does an excellent job of showing the varied landscapes and gorgeous graphics if nothing else. Forested hills, snowy mountains, open plains, and busy towns are all present. It will be interesting to see how big Rockstar goes with Red Dead Redemption 2 map.

As for the release date, that is still listed as spring 2018. Publisher Take-Two Interactive previously clarified that the Red Dead Redemption 2 release will not be before the start of its 2019 fiscal year, which begins on April 1, 2018. This places the game’s launch window in April through June 20, 2018. There’s always the chance for further delays, of course, due to Rockstar’s high bar of quality.

Meanwhile, there is still the question of a PC release for Red Dead Redemption 2, as well as online play. Rockstar has shown a propensity to release on consoles first and then PC later, so a lack of an announcement for the mouse-and-keyboard set is not particularly surprising at this point. However, the huge and still on-going success of GTA Online points to a similar “game as a service” setup for Red Dead Redemption 2.

What did you think of the Red Dead Redemption 2 second trailer reveal? Sound off in the comments below.

[Featured Image by Rockstar Games]