Both Red Dead Redemption and Red Dead Redemption 2 told fine stories about Rockstar Games' fictional end of the Wild West era. Red Dead Redemption was set in the year 1911, where former outlaw John Marston is tasked with bringing his old gangmates to justice. Red Dead Redemption 2 supplemented the original's tale by going back in time to the year 1899 and letting players take control of Arthur Morgan, a vital member of the Van der Linde Gang - the same gang John Marston was a part of. But even though Red Dead Redemption 2 ties up a lot of loose ends left by its predecessor, there is one big event that players never get to experience firsthand.
The Blackwater Massacre was an infamous gunfight that involved members of the Van der Linde gang, the Blackwater local law enforcement, and the Pinkerton detectives. The event is often mentioned in both Red Dead Redemption and Red Dead Redemption 2 and is seen as an integral turning point for Dutch's gang as it marked its slow but gradual downfall. Despite its importance in the Red Dead Redemption mythos, however, players know very little about what actually happened. Instead of divulging information about the massacre exclusively through dialogue or cutscenes, Rockstar Games would do well to put players right in the middle of this tumultuous event.
What Details Are Known About The Blackwater Massacre?
Taking place just before the events of Red Dead Redemption 2, the Blackwater Massacre began as a ferry robbery executed by the Van der Linde gang. The ferry was supposedly transporting $150,000 worth of money; money that Dutch Van der Linde saw as an opportunity to set both himself and his gang up with a hefty sum of retirement funds. While the ferry carried said cash, it also turned out to be a trap set by the Blackwater Police Department and the Pinkerton Detective Agency in an effort to capture or kill Dutch and his gang.
According to Javier Escuella, a member of Dutch's gang who was present during the heist, accessing the money proved fairly easy. Things went south soon after, however, as Blackwatch law enforcers and Pinkerton detectives swarmed the money-laden criminals. Not much can be divulged afterward apart from multiple shootings and an untold amount of deaths (thus giving the occurrence the title "Blackwater Massacre"), but it is known that Dutch shot and killed an innocent woman named Heidi McCourt and gang members Davey Callander and Jenny Kirk were killed in the crossfire.
Apart from the deaths, the Van der Linde gang, Blackwater Police Department, and Pinkerton Detective Agency suffered multiple injuries, and some people (like gang member Sean MacGuire) were captured. Despite their losses, the Van der Linde gang managed to make off with the stolen money and hide it in the town of Blackwater. The remaining members then fled northeast to the Ambarino mountains to lose their pursuers.
The Blackwater Massacre Would Work Well As Short Content or DLC
While the events surrounding the Blackwater Massacre might not be sufficient for a full-fledged Red Dead Redemption title, there is enough in here that Rockstar Games can use as a jumping-off point to make a good side story. From the beginning of the heist's planning stages to the heist itself and eventual aftermath, players could experience what the members of the Van der Linde gang went through on that eventful day. The developers could not only flesh out events that were mentioned previously in the franchise but also add nuanced details such as where each gang member was and how the heist was pulled off.
As this is side-content and not a full game, players wouldn't mind Rockster Games using the same assets and technology found in Red Dead Redemption 2. When all is said and done, it is the story that is important and would get people to play this riveting prequel to a prequel. Seeing as Red Dead Redemption 2 has yet to receive something along the lines of Red Dead Redemption's Undead Nightmare DLC since it released 5 years ago, it would be a missed opportunity on Rockstar Games' part not to capitalize on what happened during the Blackwater Massacre before moving on to other Red Dead Redemption content.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is available now for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.
