Rockstar does have a lot on its plate with GTA 5, and already fans are wanting a GTA 6 within three years after the first game. Considering that Red Dead Redemption, the open-world Western game by the same company has been out since 2010 (with no release on the PS4 or Xbox One yet), fans have been wondering when Red Dead Redemption 2 will have its release date, and this sequel could be a prequel.
Part of the prequel rumors include a leaked map from the game that has been appearing everywhere. Metro reports that the setting is further east than before, but still incorporates the town of Blackwater from the first game. After all, the original Red Dead Redemption was set at the end of the Old West Era, so it didn't leave a lot of room for continuing the story in a direct sequel.
In fact, a report from News Every Day states the Red Dead Redemption 2 is in the process and has said it will take place 12 years before the first game. The main characters will be Seth (from Kansas City), Irish (from Ireland), as well as a customizable character. Red Dead Redemption 2 will feature a multiplayer game mode, and had been under development for 3 ½ years.
What is most interesting about this map is that Red Dead Redemption takes place in a fictionalized version of real America, with a New Orleans town of New Bordeaux as a stand-in. This is the city that appears in 2K's Mafia III. These two games have the same distributor of Take-Two Interactive, does this mean that the Red Dead Redemption and Mafia series take place within the same universe? There's a fan theory for you. Maybe the cities in GTA should join in this collective universe.
We pretty much know that Red Dead Redemption 2 is under development, as CEO of Red Dead Redemption Developer Take Two, Strauss Zelnick, has suggested that "Red Dead is a permanent franchise," according to PC Advisor. He has also said "the risk of just [releasing more games] is that you end up bulking your release schedule and that isn't really what consumers want. Consumers want better, not more."
In other words, the company has been taking its time to develop Red Dead Redemption 2, and hopefully all that work will pay off. If Red Dead Redemption 2 is going to be released this year, as during the holiday season, then chances are it will be shown off at E3 2016. If you aren't familiar with E3, it is the Electronic Entertainment Expo, a big event devoted to video games that takes place during the summer at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
