Rockstar Reveals Plot Details for 'Red Dead Redemption 2' (Exclusive)



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Rockstar Games is saddling up to head back to the Old West when Red Dead Redemption 2 hits shelves this October.

The follow-up to 2010's massively successful Western, Red Dead 2 acts 12 years before they were seen in the first game.

Josh Bass, art director at Rockstar San Diego, and Aaron Garbut, director of art at North Rockstar, caught up with The Hollywood Reporter to offer exclusive information about the hotly-anticipated game and the gang of outlaws at the core of its story.

"Dutch's presence loomed over the original Red Dead Redemption, and his influence on events Red Dead Redemption 2,"Bass tells THR. "What happened to them along the way?" What do we have to do with the gang?

Fans of the original will remember Dutch van der Linde, the leader of his eponymous gang, as the primary antagonist in a story that centered on the last days of the dying Wild West frontier. John Marston, seen in protagonist John Marston, seen in Red Dead 2 as a much younger member of the gang will be hunt down.

"In Red Dead Redemption 2 Marston, at the peak of their notoriety and at the moment, "says Bass." This story focuses on Arthur Morgan, Dutch's most trusted enforcer. When he is a young boy, Arthur considers the gang to be his family, and the gang has served his life in Arthur's life. "

The central plot of the original game focuses on Marston's quest to hunt down his gang members and stop Dutch from forming his new posse. While the new title focuses on the gang when it's still in action, it's not quite in the West, says Bass. "Things are changing – there's a lot of room for a modernizing world for the gang of way of life." Through Arthur's Eyes, you're forced to flee across America, while at the same time , "Bass explains."

"We've gotten to capture a wide slice of American life in 1899, a fast-moving industrializing nation that would have had its sights on the world's stage – and would do anything to 'modernize,'" Garbut says of the sequel's setting. "It's a brutal landscape with a sordid history, but one that is full of opportunity. "The gang's journey and the game's epic scope makes room for touch on all aspects of the turn of the century America in a meaningful, substantial way."

Rockstar, which is known for creating huge immersive worlds, was focused on making Red Dead 2's open world a reflection of the time period, as well as a deeper, thriving environment for players to interact with.

"We are trying to make both world expansive and deep at the same time," Garbut says. "We have always tried to create a world like this, but we have been able to do so much more, we have been able to use the latest technology.

That includes not just the physical surroundings, but also the people that inhabit it. "The contrast between rich and poor, between weak and strong and between civilization and the wilderness really spoke to us," says Garbut.

"We're trying to create a world where everything is more cohesive, so that both the player's actions and the way the world reacts to your actions do not matter what you do or where you do it," he continues. "It's persistent and alive, but also more deliberate and intimate, where you are still more likely to get around by horse or on foot. a local lawman, hijack a train or simply rummage through the drawers of an old homestead hoping to find cash or just some food to help the gang survive – and seamlessly transition between these things in ways that are both fun and safe with Arthur as a character. "

It's been revealed that Arthur Morgan will be the playable protagonist of the new game, but given the success of the previous Rockstar title Grand Theft Auto V's three playable protagonists, some had wondered if a similar approach would be taken in Red Dead 2.

"Switching characters made sense and was a lot of fun Grand Theft Auto V, "Bass says, before adding," Sticking with a single character. Arthur lives with and fights alongside the other members of the van der Linde gang, and they are a group of fully realized characters with relationships to each other Arthur, but this is Arthur's story and the gang deal with a changing world. We think people will really love the feeling of being in the gang. It's not like anything we've done before. "

GTA V set a high benchmark for Rockstar to clear, but Bass and Garbut are confident that Red Dead 2's world surpasses anything the game studio has done before.

"Grand Theft Auto V set a pretty high benchmark for a company, but even the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions of that game were based on technical concepts of the PS3 era, "Bass says."Red Dead Redemption 2 is the first game for the latest generation of hardware, and is an opportunity for our teams to upgrade every single aspect of our approach to game design and more. "We have used that power to create a world of depth, interactivity and persistence."

"It's the sense of life the game has most sets apart," Garbut adds. "When you first go to a town and you see the townspeople going about their business, building houses, selling papers, hanging out, you can never say that we've never experienced this detail in an open world game before. We're going to be here, and we're going to have a conversation with you, or you're going to have a conversation with you. You are not even sure if you've done a mission when it's all over the world, it's kind of incredible. "

That level of immersion, Garbut says, is their biggest goal. "Making the player forget they are playing a game, and instead leaving them with a memory of a place," he says. "That's how I leave this project personally, we're finishing up, I'm spending my life living in this world and I'm going to miss it. That's pretty amazing. "

On Thursday, Rockstar shared characters and breakdowns of all the game's central characters. Red Dead Redemption 2 is available for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on Oct. 26.

A complete rundown of all the members of the van der Linde Gang is below.

Dutch van der Linde: The leader of a sizeable gang of outlaws and misfits. Idealistic, anarchic, charismatic, well-read, well-lived, but possibly starting to unravel under the pressures of encroaching modern world.

Arthur Morgan: Dutch is most dependable and able enforcer since he was a boy, the outlaw is all Arthur has known. Sharp, cool-headed, and ruthless, but with his own sense of honor. A man who gets the job done.

Bill Williamson: An ex-soldier discharged from the army, possibly dishonorably. Hot headed, he tends to act first and think is tough, dedicated and always ready to fight.

Javier Escuella: A notorious bounty hunter and Mexican revolutionary. Javier immediately had a strong connection to Dutch's ideals. Very committed, passionate and loyal.

John Marston: Once an orphaned street kid taken under the age of twelve, John has always had to live by his wits. Shrewd, fearless and strong-willed, he and Arthur are proud Dutch's protected.

Charles Smith: A relatively recent recruit to the gang, Charles is quiet and reserved but extremely competent in everything he loves and unbeatable in a fight. A decent, honest man who also happens to be deadly.

Micah Bell: A career criminal and hitman. Wild and unpredictable but he lives for the action.

Sadie Adler: Widow who is hellbent on taking revenge on those who killed her husband. Relentless and afraid of nothing and no one. The wrong woman to cross, but very loyal to those she loves.

Hosea Matthews: A master con artist, a gentleman and thief, Hosea has been a Dutch master close friend and right-hand man for over twenty years. Intelligent and quick-witted, he can talk his way into, or out of, just about anything.

Abigail Roberts: An orphan who grew up scraping out of a living in the West, Abigail is a strong, straight-talking woman who has a lot of life and knows what it is.

Uncle: A hanger-on and good-time guy, Uncle is always around when the whiskey is open and never when there is any work to be done. If he was not so entertaining, it would have been a long time ago.

Josiah Trelawny: A flamboyant conjurer, conman and trickster, Trelawny is a very hard man to pin down but he is always able to bring good leads.

Lenny Summers: Young Lenny has been on the run since 15 years old. Smart, educated, competent and ambitious, he is always ready to do his part.

Sean Macguire: A cocky young Irish thief and stick-up man who comes from a long line of criminals and political dissidents. He always wants a piece of the action and believes in himself … perhaps a little too much.

Mary-Beth Gaskill: A kind, good-natured young woman, who makes her the perfect criminal. By the time people realize they've been duped, Mary-Beth is already here with money.

Karen Jones: A consummate scam artist and trigger woman who can drink pretty much anybody under the table. Bold and full of fun, she loves life and life.

Tilly Jackson: An outlaw from the age of 12, Tilly ran with another gang before joining up with Dutch. Savvy, resilient and dependable, she is more than happy and is not afraid to speak her mind.

Leopold Strauss: Originally hailing from Austria, Herr Strauss is responsible for keeping the gangs and running their money lending operation. A serious, somewhat shifty and unemotional man, he has all the qualities of a loan shark needs.

Reverend Swanson: An ex-clergyman now lost to debauchery, Swanson has fallen a long way from the standards he once set himself. If it had not been saved, it's unlikely the gang would have kept it around for this long.

Susan Grimshaw: The undisputed boss and arbiter of justice in the camp, everything would have fallen apart years ago without Susan in charge. Tenacious and iron-willed, she stands for no nonsense.

Molly O'Shea: A girl and the object of Dutch's affection, for now at least, Molly is too high-strung for a life on the run and it's all starting to take a toll on her.

Pearson: The camp's butcher and cook, Pearson served a short stint in the navy. A loud, jolly degenerate who is somewhat in denial about the turn his life has taken.

Jack Marston: Young Jack has grown up with the gang, but everyone has done better with his nefarious elements, especially his mother Abigail. He loves everything about nature and outdoor life, and is carefully watched over by his many aunts and uncles.

Staff writer Ryan Parker contributed to this report.

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