Rockstar Games just dropped a bomb on 'Red Dead Redemption' fans
For years, Rockstar Games fans have been begging for a sequel to Red Dead Redemption. And now, many rumors later, the Grand Theft Auto studio seems to be gearing up for a reveal.
Here's what we know for sure: The studio's Facebook and Twitter profiles have both been updated with a new image that features a fading Rockstar logo on a painted, blood-red background.
Even more tellingly, the developer's homepage defaults to the same image for 10 seconds before loading into the rest of the website. A related Rockstar Newswire post is flooded with comments from Red Dead fans.
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You might be wondering why any of this is significant.
Take a look at some of the art for Red Dead Redemption, Rockstar's 2010 foray into the Western genre. Take note of the color scheme.
The older art features a very specific shade of red, with the same painted-on feel as the newly updated social media imagery.
Is Rockstar trying to communicate something? Yes, definitely. Does it relate in some way to Red Dead Redemption? You can bet actual money on it. There's an outside possibility that this is some elaborate troll, but that's not really Rockstar's style.
Now... can we expect a sequel announcement, as many have hoped would happen over the past six years? It's possible. But who's to say the 2010 game won't be getting a "remastered" update? All we can do is speculate.
Grand Theft Auto V made the leap from PlayStation 3/Xbox 360 hardware to the current generation of consoles -- and PC -- but it was also first released in 2014. It still felt "new" as a remastered game.
Red Dead, by comparison, is an old game. It was impressive in 2010 and, in truth, it's still impressive today. But Rockstar's approach to game design -- and the way it earns income from the online play side of things -- has changed quite a bit since then.
Just look at GTA Online. It evolved the party-driven approach to open world activities that was first introduced in Red Dead Redemption, including an economy that incentivizes players with cool unlocks that you can earn by spending either time or money on the game.
Money is the reason GTA Online regularly receives significant, free content updates. Add-ons that let you form a biker gang, stage heists and establish an organized criminal empire (among other things) give players carrots to grasp at, and virtual in-game cash -- which you can earn or buy outright -- pays for all of it.
Red Dead Redemption let groups of players roam the fictional Wild West countryside, but its paid add-ons were up-front purchases. That had the effect of splintering the audience, since not everyone had access to the same content.
Why, then, would Rockstar pour resources into remastering a six-year-old game that isn't built to capitalize on the features that have helped turn Grand Theft Auto V into a financial windfall? Especially with Red Dead Redemption now being a backwards compatible title on Xbox One.
The smart bet is on Rockstar using these new social media blasts to build the hype for a proper sequel. And given the hot-cold nature of hype, that announcement is probably imminent.
Topics Gaming
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
