With the anticipation of a possible Red Dead Redemption 3 in Rockstar Games' future, one main storyline from the series is an obvious one to focus on. As the latest game in the franchise was a massive success both in popularity and quality, there is little doubt that Rockstar is considering another exciting Red Dead Redemption installment. Returning to RDR2's world could entail an opportunity to explore one of the big stories that's mentioned but never played out onscreen.

With the next Red Dead Redemption game logically ruling out a sequel, since the Wild West is dying out at the end of the first game, a prequel is imminent if the series continues. There are different approaches for the next game that the first two entries have set up, from who the protagonist could be to what a more expanded map for a prequel could look like. But with one large and devastating event looming over the gang in RDR2, it is an element Rockstar should take advantage of.

An RDR2 Prequel Could Reveal What Happened In Blackwater

The Reason The Van Der Linde Gang Is On The Run

From the start of Red Dead Redemption 2, it mentions a failed mission in Blackwater hanging heavily over the Van der Linde gang. The inciting incident is never seen and only talked about, but it launches the second game into action. Although players learn some information about what happened, who was involved, and the massacre the gang left in their tracks, the full extent of the event is left unanswered. The importance of this event presents a chance for it to be fully playable in a future game.

Since the massacre happens right before the start of RDR2, Blackwater could act as the climax to a prequel game like RDR3. Such an event would be constantly dreaded and will impact those who were involved for a long time, both the Van der Linde gang and the town of Blackwater itself.

This would give Red Dead Redemption 3 room to explore the gang's past, leading up to an event that connects the two previous games smoothly.

With talk of a massive standoff, rumors of the heist being a setup, the gang receiving injuries and casualties, and Dutch shooting an innocent woman, it is the perfect arrangement for a large end-of-game battle that players can anticipate the entire time. This would give Red Dead Redemption 3 room to explore other things from the gang's past, leading up to an event that connects the two previous games smoothly.

There are many things that Rockstar could cover as the game slowly amps up toward the unavoidable finale. Players could see the formation of the Van der Linde gang or even Arthur Morgan's origin story of being taken under Dutch's wing as a teenager. With a long stretch of history of Dutch's antics, there are countless ways a prequel could start, but Blackwater is where it should eventually lead.

Whose Perspective Of Blackwater Could Be Seen In RDR3?

Many Characters Are Options For The Next Protagonist

The most players learn about the events in Blackwater comes from reading Arthur Morgan's journal in RDR2, which documented everything before and after. One of the reasons players do not fully know about the Blackwater events is due to the protagonist not being involved at all. With Arthur chasing another lead with Hosea at the time, another character would need to take the lead role for players to experience it.

As most of the Van der Linde gang was involved in everything and seeing what went wrong, there are options depending on the direction Rockstar desires to take the prequel. John Marston is an obvious option, since he was entangled in the middle of the action and heavily injured. John is another member of the gang who was taken in at a young age, so centering around him would be captivating.

There is also the involvement of Abigail and Jack that could be established, seeing how they get pulled into the group through John. He was also the character that started the entire series with the first game, so it would tie everything together neatly if he was the protagonist yet again.

Alternatively, an RDR3 could switch to John as the playable character right before Blackwater, while players explore Arthur Morgan's past. There is so much material on Arthur that can be worked with, as he was an outlaw with the gang for most of his life.

He also had a son in the past, which is one of the many bits of information that can be learned through the second game. Arthur returning like this would not only reflect RDR2 switching between the two during its climax, but also keep the beloved protagonists that have already been established.

Could Dutch Van der Linde Be Playable For Blackwater?

Players Could Become The Gang Leader In RDR3

There is even the opportunity to throw players into the shoes of Dutch Van der Linde. From a distant past of forming a gang, to establishing himself as a con artist and proper outlaw, to eventually meeting Micah Belle, which begins the downfall of everything. Making the playable character the role model boss turned antagonist would be a bold and effective move for a third game.

Going through the devastating events of Blackwater as the leader, watching one's own gang lose and face death, could raise the tension of the entire event and make for an impressive end-game sequence. Mentions of Dutch's past are scattered throughout the present games, but expanding on them in another prequel could be an effective route to take.

Seeing the slow descent of Dutch's values of unity and loyalty being lost in RDR2 is the main issue of the gang, so reverting back to a time when he held those values closer would teach players a lot more about him. The past of the gang and its leader would make a captivating origin story in RDR3 that would take place earlier in the Wild West.

Though there are many directions it could be taken, the next vital prequel of Red Dead Redemption 3 needs to cover the events of Blackwater. With the expectation of it being a prequel, it can also go into detail of the past of different of the Van der Linde gang and the other antics they have gotten up to before the beginning of Red Dead Redemption 2. With such a huge massacre being caused by the gang, leaving out this crucial event in the series' future would be hard to ignore.

Source: Rockstar Games/YouTube