Summary
With almost six years now having passed since the release ofRed Dead Redemption 2, some fans are starting to imagine what experiences might eventually come next for the franchise. While a new installment to the Old West franchise will be welcomed with open arms, question marks are already being raised over where the game could logically go narratively, with the tale of the Van der Linde gang essentially now being exhausted.
Of course, any news regardingRed Dead Redemptionis likely a long way off thanks to the imminence of the massively anticipatedGrand Theft Auto 6, but that is not to say thatGTA 6could provide one big inspiration for a futureRed Deadrelease. Rumors and reports state that the real-world story of Bonnie and Clyde played a huge inspiration in the core narrative ofGrand Theft Auto 6, with the two protagonists of the game sharing a similar connection to the infamous criminal pair. WithGTApotentially borrowing from historical accounts of famous outlaws, it only seems right that the nextRed Dead Redemptionshould take equal inspiration from the countless famous gunslingers and criminals of the real Old West.
The popular December 2023 reveal trailer forGrand Theft Auto 6gave fans early glimpses of the two main protagonists of the upcoming title, a man and woman named Jason and Lucia. The trailer confirmed a lot of longstanding reports around the duo, with the player controlling both characters as they navigate the world of crime and a romantic relationship with each other.
This immediately drewcomparisons between Jason and Lucia and Bonnie and Clyde, real-life criminal lovers who wreaked havoc across the United States during the Great Depression. Traveling with a larger gang, Bonnie and Clyde were renowned for large-scale robbery and murder, a theme that is also seemingly echoed within the story of Jason and Lucia inGrand Theft Auto 6.
While it is unknown if Jason and Lucia will meet the same bloody end at the hands of the law as Bonnie and Clyde, the inspiration that Rockstar has taken from their story is already clear, and this could easily be extended to the nextRed Dead Redemptiontitle. Of course, a lot of thethemes, characters, and narratives of theRed Deadfranchiseare heavily linked to real-world events and figures of the time period, but the franchise should not be afraid to offer more intimate portrayals inspired by the most famous faces of the era.
Real outlaws like Jesse James and Butch Cassidy lived lives that have inspired countless media adaptations over the years, and these tales could be the answer towhat kind of story the nextRed Dead Redemptionshould tell. LikeGrand Theft Auto,Red Dead Redemptionmakes a point of not naming real world figures in their games, but the personalities and doings of some of the most famous outlaws from the Old West could easily be reflected in an upcoming project without being directly named.
Unlessthe nextRed Dead Redemptiondecides to follow Jack Marston into the 1920sat the cost of its cowboy themes, it seems likely that Rockstar will need to move on to a new cast of characters away from the Van der Linde gang. If the rumored Bonnie and Clyde inspiration forGrand Theft Auto 6’s main characters ends up holding any weight, then Rockstar has a near endless wealth of real outlaw figures to inspire and shape whatever comes next forRed Dead Redemption.
