Prior to the release on Grand Theft Auto 5 in 2013, Rockstar Games announced plans for single-player DLC that would be coming later down the road alongside new content for its brand new online service, Grand Theft Auto Online. While GTA Online's launch wasn't anything to write home about, regular updates added new missions, online heists, game modes, and generally more stuff to do, quickly turning GTA Online into its very own billion-dollar product. Unfortunately, this meant the planned single-player DLC was scrapped and players would have to wait until 2018's Red Dead Redemption 2 for more story content from the legendary developer.
For Red Dead Redemption 2, Rockstar developed every aspect of the game around its immersive vision, creating one of the most complete narrative experiences to date with no plans for future story content outside of Red Dead Online. However, Red Dead is far too big of a franchise to be finished and it doesn't have the same prowess to exist purely online; there's no way the story is over yet. Whether it's single-player story DLC, new story content in Red Dead Online, or a potential sequel down the road, where could Rockstar take the Red Dead Redemption series from here? Major spoilers ahead for the ending of Red Dead Redemption 2.
Red Dead Redemption 2 Ending Explained
At the end of Chapter 5, the second last chapter in the game excluding the epilogue, Arthur Morgan is diagnosed with tuberculosis and only given a brief time to live. By the final mission, the majority of Dutch's gang have either left, been killed, or were captured by the Pinkertons, who are closing in on their location. Having lost faith in Dutch after he left John Marston for dead and allowed for his wife Abigail to be captured, Arthur bids farewell and heads back to camp to confront Micah after learning he sold them out to the Pinkertons. Dutch, Bill, Javier, and Micah all turn on Arthur and John right before the Pinkertons arrive and force them to flee. Arthur helps John escape and convinces Dutch to abandon Micah. Depending on the player's morality, Arthur will either succumbs to his illness and dies peacefully watching the sunrise, or he's executed by Micah right after John escapes.
Red Dead Redemption 2 Epilogue Explained
Set a few years after the events of the main story, Red Dead Redemption 2 has two lengthy epilogue chapters. Convinced John will never escape his previous life, Abigail and Jack leave John, forcing him to find work at a local ranch, purchases a plot of land, and with the help of Uncle, Sadie, and Charles, build a new home to win them back. During this time, Sadie uncover the whereabouts of Micah and the gang heads off to kill him and avenge Arthurs death. In a final confrontation, it's revealed that Dutch is working alongside Micah again however, Dutch turns on Micah and shoots him before turning and leaving John to finish him off once and for all. Sometime between the main story and epilogue, Micah returned to Blackwater to collect the stashed money from the start of the game, money that John discovers and uses to pay off his home loan and to marry Abigail.
Where Could Rockstar Go Next with RDR2?
Now that Red Dead Redemption 2's story is over, here's where the timeline gets very interesting. The entire epilogue takes place during 1907, ending with John Marston and Abigail finally getting married. During the same year, Agent Ross of the Pinkertons is appointed as the director of the newly formed Bureau of Investigation, and by 1911, Agent Ross manages to locate John, initiating the events of the original game. That leaves roughly four years of John's life that are currently unaccounted for so far. It's unlikely that enough happened in those four years to justify a full game but there's a good amount of room to explore in single-player DLC or Red Dead Online; not to mention other members of the Dutch van der Linde gang such as Sadie Adler or Charles Smith, major characters that never appeared in the original game, could be explored.
What About Red Dead Redemption 3?
Based on the success of Red Dead Redemption 2, it seems inevitable that Rockstar Games will eventually release a third game in the series. That leaves two likely options for the story of Red Dead Redemption 3: create a whole new story with new characters in a different part of America or dive further into the story of Jack Marston. Considering Jack Marston's epilogue in the original Red Dead Redemption, set three years later in 1914, there's an interesting story to be told about a man trying to honor his family and fulfil his parent's wishes to live a normal life, especially when he grew up around outlaws and the Great War would span the next four years. The character of Jack Marston would become a throughline for the entire series and ending the trilogy with his story makes the most sense. Unless Rockstar Games would prefer to remake Red Dead Revolver, the real first game in the series.
If reports are to be believed, GTA 6 is currently in development and will be the next big game out of Rockstar Games, presumably with a new take on GTA Online for next-gen consoles. This means that the Red Dead series would now have to rely entirely on its online component for the foreseeable future. Rockstar is going to have to make an effort to reinvigorate Red Dead Online for PS5 and Xbox Series X and continue the story of Red Dead Redemption 2 through either story DLC or substantial story content for its online service. All before it officially and eventually brings the story of RDR to an end.
Red Dead Redemption 2Â is available now for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.
