Summary
Ever since it firstburst from the grave in 2010,Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmarehas remained a fan favorite that left many players craving more of it. The first and only DLC forRDRwas perhaps a bit unexpected given the gritty realism and intense emotional journey of the main campaign, but withRed Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare, Rockstar Games provided a separate story that was at turns scary and funny. It fit well into the detailed Old West setting and went on to become one of the most popular pieces of content in the series.
In the 15 years since its release, a second outing has been oft-requested, but the prospect has not yet come to fruition. If one were to crawl back onto the scene though,a newUndead Nightmaredoesn’t necessarily have to be the samevision as the original’s zombie apocalypse. Another equally outlandish scenario that could serve as a basis is already set up, having been sighted in bothRed Dead RedemptionandGrand Theft Autotitles. The two franchises have contained hints and traces of aliens and UFOs, and while these have mostly been out-of-the-way secrets or brief Easter eggs so far, this could easily be expanded into a full-blown follow-up toUndead Nightmare.
Rockstar Has Increasingly Featured UFOs Across its Major Franchises
In what seemed to start as a rumor aboutGrand Theft Auto: San Andreasthat rapidly circulated among fan forums, Rockstar hiding UFOs and aliens in its games later became a reality. The studio leaned into the rampant speculation and theories, and began to include hidden content referencing otherworldly visitors in subsequent releases.GTA 5gave fans the most concrete evidence of UFOs until that point, and by the time ofRed Dead Redemption 2, aliens were essentially confirmed to existin both universes.
Set for release this year,Grand Theft Auto 6is likely to keep the UFO traditiongoing.
WhileRed Dead Redemption 2has a minor nod toUndead Nightmare, that’s the extent of its acknowledgment. On the other hand,RDR2’s UFO encounter is the most elaborate yet, and provides a gateway to take it to its logical conclusion. The idea of extraterrestrials invading the Old West was basically the entire point of the 2011 film,Cowboys & Aliens, starring Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig. The movie (based on a graphic novel of the same name) delivered exactly what it advertised, and the premise would match neatly withRed Dead’s world and gameplay.
WithUndead Nightmarebeing a self-contained “What If?” spin-off, this gives Rockstar plenty of leeway to make another happen, only with an alien invasion instead of the dead returning to life. It could be set around one or more of themembers of Dutch Van der Linde’s gangbeing abducted, and the rest of the crew having to rescue them while dealing with aliens running rampant across the frontier. This would make for more great moments ofUndead Nightmare’s humor in the narrative, especially if juxtaposed against Arthur Morgan’s stoic demeanor, while also having elements of terror as he faces a powerful threat from beyond Earth. Mechanically, it could also potentially give players some cool new toys to use, like ray-guns and teleporters.
Though most fans may be resigned at this point that it’s unlikely to happen, at least any time soon, there is still the possibility that someday they might get a sequel toUndead Nightmare. Given the demand for Rockstar to createmore content similar toUndead Nightmare, and that aliens have long been present in its games, something like an “Unearthly Nightmare” DLC that embraces both aspects would work quite well and be truly welcome.
Red Dead Redemption Undead Nightmare Pack
WHERE TO PLAY
Unleashed upon the world of Red Dead Redemption. The Undead Nightmare Pack features an entirely new single-player campaign that follows John Marston as he tries to find a cure for the highly-infectious undead plague spreading across the frontier. In addition to this epic single-player adventure, the Undead Nightmare Pack also features a brand new multiplayer mode in addition to new gameplay mechanics, weapons, undead animals and mythical creatures.
