The future of theRed Dead Redemptionfranchise is somewhat up in the air. Rockstar Studios is working hard on the upcomingGrand Theft Autogame, and it isn’t clear when the developer will return to the sibling series. Some have even speculated that the franchise could be left behind as the developer’s priorities change, but if the developer wants to continue theRed Dead Redemptionfranchise, for the time being, it may want to take a page from Bethesda’s book withFallout: New Vegas.
Released in 2010,Fallout: New Vegaswas the sixth game in theFalloutfranchise and the second to be released under Bethesda’s publishing wing. After the release ofFallout 3, the developer opted to put its time and resources into makingThe Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim. Not wanting to leave the property unattended, it opted to allow another studio to produce a spin-off game, which eventually becameNew Vegas.Fallout: New Vegasis now regarded as the best of the Bethesda-eraFalloutgames, and it provides a model that Rockstar could use for aRed Dead Redemptionspin-off game.
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It should not be forgotten that the Obsidian game had a troubled production and launch. At the time of its release, the game was criticized for numerous technical issues that would take some time beforeFallout: New Vegashad them patched out. This was because Obsidian only had roughly 18 months to complete the game and was forced to reuse many ofFallout 3assets to get the game done on time. The game ultimately was a success and went on to sell over 12 million copies worldwide and was reviewed well despite the technical issues. Unfortunately, Obsidian did not benefit from the game’s success.
As it had turned out, there was a particular clause in the contract between Bethesda and Obsidian. Obsidian was due for abonus onFallout: New Vegasonly if its Metacritic scoreaveraged at 85. It missed this by a single point, which caused the developer financial stress for years to follow. If Rockstar was to do aFallout: New Vegas-style spinoff for theRed Dead Redemptionfranchise, this is the one aspect that it absolutely can not follow. The main idea, however, is still sound, and one that the company should absolutely consider.
The first biggest advantage that could come with aFallout: New Vegas-style spin-off is that it opens up many different possibilities. The mainRed Dead Redemptiongames may have backed itself into a corner with Jack Marston, but a smaller-scale spin-off game doesn’t necessarily need to be limited by the history of the Dan der Linde gang. It could take the form ofRed Dead Revolversequel or simply follow a new set of characters who live in the same world, freeing it from the previous games' continuity shackles.
In addition, from a technical aspect, a spin-off doesn’t necessarily need to be a game created from scratch. At 120 GB,Red Dead Redemption 2is one of the biggest gamesever made, and many of the game’s assets could be used in a spin-off, potentially saving on additional time and money. This would allow the development team to focus primarily on the story, missions, and characters as opposed to other technical aspects that could cause the production time to drag out. Fans could get a newer game in the franchise quicker, while not being a full series title means that Rockstar can reuse many assets.
As of this writing, it’s currently projected thatRed Dead Redemption 3won’t be released until the 2030sif it’s made at all. However, Rockstar and the franchise could benefit from making a smaller,Fallout: New Vegas-style spin-off to keep fans satisfied between the long release dates. Hopefully, whoever develops the game will have an easier time of it than Obsidian did withNew Vegas.
Red Dead Redemption 3is rumored to be in development.
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