The long-rumored Red Dead Redemption remaster may finally be released soon. Rockstar's 2010 Western title was highly praised upon its release on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Despite this acclaim, a successful sequel, and being part of Xbox's backward-compatibility program; the title was removed from PlayStation Plus and was never released on PC, leading to fans calling for some kind of remaster or remake for modern devices.
As reported by Gematsu, the Game Rating and Administration Committee of Korea published a new rating for Red Dead Redemption on June 15. Ratings for the prior Game of the Year and Undead Nightmare Collection versions of the game existed in Korea prior to this new rating, indicating that it could be for a new, potentially remastered version of the game. If so, this rating suggests that the title's release may be coming sooner, rather than later, which would be a pleasant surprise for fans.
It Had Been Previously Reported That A RDR Remake Was Canceled
As Rockstar announced that it would be diverting its resources into the upcoming Grand Theft Auto 6 in July 2022, it was reported that the studio had canceled many of the other projects it had planned. While one of these was a rumored remaster of 2008's Grand Theft Auto 4, the Red Dead series seemed to take the biggest hit as a result of this decision. Reports from this time stated that a new-gen patch for Red Dead Redemption 2 was canceled alongside a remaster of Red Dead Redemption.
Rockstar Games Has Yet To Announce A RDR Remaster
Despite these rumors, developer Rockstar Games never officially announced a remastered version of Red Dead Redemption. The new rating from Korea is the biggest indicator that one is planned, however, with similar rating publications being strong indicators of upcoming titles prior to their official trailers or reveals. If so, this could finally bring John Marston's story to a new audience.
Rockstar's recent re-releases have been the source of much skepticism, as the GTA Trilogy's Definitive Editions were heavily criticized upon launch for their many bugs and visual issues; whereas it wasn't until Grand Theft Auto 5's recent ray-tracing and performance patch fixed initial complaints about the lack of a visual upgrade on its third re-release, that players were satisfied with the version. Hopefully, this won't be the case with a Red Dead Redemption remaster, but the main appeal for a remaster or remake is how it would finally allow players to experience the full story of the fall of the Van der Linde gang on modern devices when played alongside the more easily accessible prequel, Red Dead Redemption 2.
Source: Game Rating and Administration Committee of Korea (via. Gematsu)