Rockstar is toying with the emotions of fans of its popular western adventure game Red Dead Redemption, with a couple of teaser images that are clearly leading up to a big announcement. Fans and industry observers suspect we could finally see the studio announce a sequel to the 2010 Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 game.
Red Dead Redemption was itself a follow-up to Red Dead Revolver, a third-person action adventure shooter that came out for Xbox and PlayStation 2 in 2004. The series is a bit like a Grand Theft Auto (another Rockstar franchise) set in the Old West, giving the player a chance to ride horses, gun down bandits, hunt wildlife and more. Redemption earned the series higher acclaim than the original, thanks to refinements in gameplay and technical advantages made possible by the next-gen consoles on which it ran.
We don’t have much to go on for what Rockstar’s planning with this teaser. The most underwhelming possibility is just that Redemption gets a remastered launch on PS4 (it got backwards compatibility on Xbox One earlier this year). But the second image, which features the silhouettes of seven distinct cowboys against the sun on the horizon, suggests either some kind of multiplayer component or an expanded cast of characters, which hopefully means a proper sequel.
I’m thrilled about the chance to get back in the saddle, since I was a huge fan of Red Dead Redemption. In fact, I’ve got a hankering to go west again right now.