Summary
Rockstar Games’Red Dead Redemptionhas become one of the most popular and lucrative series in gaming history. The franchise’s sprawling 1800s Western world, rich narratives, and compelling characters have captivated fans sinceRed Dead Redemptionwas released in 2010. Rockstar then took nearly ten years to deliver the second title, andRDR2was an even bigger success in 2019, going on to break records and managing to one-up its predecessor in pretty much every way. Suffice to say the hype and anticipation for a thirdRed Deadentry has remained high, even though one is yet to be officially confirmed, and is largely assumed to be many years off in any scenario.
Rockstar is well-known for taking its time between projects, and while those efforts to meticulously mold its games into incredible and memorable experiences have paid off, the trade-off is much longer development times compared to other games and studios in a similar league.Grand Theft Auto 6,the upcoming release of its other cornerstone IP, has already spent more than a decade in production with it finally set to drop this year. Given such lengthy intervals along with constant fan demand, Rockstar may wish to consider now more than ever potentially letting another developer take the reins on anRDRspin-off in the vein ofFallout: New Vegasto alleviate the wait between releases.
Fallout: New Vegas Perfectly Bridged the Gap Between Fallout 3 and 4
Bethesda Game Studios releasedFallout 3in 2008 before tapping Obsidian Entertainment forFallout: New Vegas,which dropped in 2010. BGS then releasedFO4in 2015. This spaced out entries nicely, and ensured fans received new titles in a reasonable amount of time. By having another studio create a quality experience between its own, Bethesda was able to keep interest and momentum forFalloutgoing at the time while focusing on itsnext installment inThe Elder Scrolls. The approach paid off all around, and Rockstar could look now to doing the same.
Fallout: New Vegashad a development cycle of only 18 months, notably more constrained than most games of its type and much shorter compared toRockstar’s process.
The idea of aRed DeadRedemptionspin-off likeFallout: New Vegashas been suggested previously, as it would seem a great fit given the circumstances. With Rockstar’s development cycles averaging more than five years, it would be a savvy move for it to take a page from Bethesda’s playbook, especially now thatRDR2is past its five-year mark. Fan support and demand for moreRDRcontent has never truly waned, and assuming Rockstar is planningRed Dead Redemption 3, if it adheres to its previous schedules, this would likely put its release in 2029 at the very earliest, and possibly well into the 2030s.
Rockstar’s parent corporation, Take-Two Interactive, owns more than 20 studios and associates worldwide. There is thus a wealth of resources and talent at its disposal to follow BGS’s example withFallout: New Vegasand task one of these with aRDRside project if it so chose. This would almost kill two birds with one stone, as a subsidiary could release a spin-off that may not be the “official” third entry, but would deliver moreRed Deadwhile taking some of the pressure off Rockstar itself.
AlthoughGrand Theft Auto 6is set up to be themajor gaming event of 2025, fans will surely still be wondering about what, and when, the nextRed Dead Redemptionwill be. The time might finally be right then for Take-Two and Rockstar to let another studio try its hand at a separate game. This would serve to please fans and tide them over, while at the same time keeping the franchise relevant and in the spotlight until the ostensible next full title.
