Red Dead Redemption 3 Being a Prequel Would Have One Obvious Upside

Talk about a potential Red Dead Redemption 3 has been rife across the gaming industry for some time now, with the massive success of its 2018 predecessor making discussion around a sequel inevitable. While there is a clear demand for a third entry to such a defining franchise, it is difficult to predict what kind of narrative direction the game might eventually take.

One of the dominant theories behind Red Dead Redemption 3‘s potential story is that it could also act as a prequel in the same way that RDR2 did, showing the earliest days of the Van Der Linde gang, when its numbers were fewer, but its ideals were set in stone. This narrative direction would definitely have its pitfalls, such as limiting what kind of story the game could tell, but the room that it would make for even more character progression for the beloved Arthur Morgan would be one massive upside.

Red Dead Redemption 3: A Prequel Could Answer Some Burning Questions About Arthur Morgan

While it is possible that Red Dead Redemption 3 could be set beyond the events of the first game, perhaps following the story of Jack Marston, this kind of setting would extend beyond the end of the Old West. With the traditional outlaw way of life no longer viable in a 1920s setting and beyond, a direct sequel would lack a lot of the narrative and gameplay elements that make the Red Dead franchise so engaging and memorable.

Red Dead Redemption 3 being a prequel set before the events of RDR2 would eliminate this problem, and while it might be difficult to create the same stakes as the past two games with this setting, there would still be a lot of narrative room to work with. This setting could show fans Dutch van der Linde and Hosea Matthews as younger men, for example, honing their anti-establishment ideals and bringing Arthur Morgan and John Marston into the fold.

Arthur Could Have Massive Narrative Importance in Red Dead Redemption 3

The prospect of playing as either Dutch or Hosea in Red Dead Redemption 3 is a fascinating one, and such a story could serve to expand upon Red Dead Redemption 2 in the same way that the 2018 title did for the original RDR. If RDR3 were to follow the standards set by its two predecessors, then it would feature another protagonist in its epilogue, like RDR did with Jack Marston and RDR2 with John Marston.

With this epilogue character choice usually acting as a narrative passing of the baton between games, then it would only make sense for Arthur Morgan to be the playable epilogue character for Red Dead Redemption 3. Arthur Morgan is considered to be one of the best gaming protagonists of all time thanks to his complexity and depth, and there are still a lot of defining events from his earlier life that have not been properly portrayed beyond small portions of dialogue.

Taking control of a younger Arthur in RDR3‘s epilogue could finally show players his earlier relationship with Mary Linton, or even the death of his son at the hands of bandits. The more compassionate version of Arthur that fans saw at the end of RDR2 is a stark contrast from his colder demeanor at the start of the game, and a deeper portrayal of Arthur’s earlier hardships in Red Dead Redemption 3 could finally bring the character full circle, being a massive potential upside to a prequel setting for the game.

Red Dead Redemption 2

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RDR2 is a Western-themed action/adventure game by Rockstar. It’s a prequel to Red Dead Redemption and stars Arthur Morgan, an outlaw who adventures across the land avoiding and fighting other outlaws, the government, and anyone else looking to cause trouble.

Released

October 26, 2018

Multiplayer

Online Multiplayer

Engine

RAGE

ESRB

M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Drugs and Alcohol

How Long To Beat

50 Hours

Metascore

97