4. There is no Red Dead Redemption remaster planned
In addition to revealing the alleged title for the sequel, the leak revealed that Red Dead Redemption would be getting a remaster later this year.
Let's go back to a few weeks ago, when the Xbox 360 version of Red Dead Redemption was playable for a short period of time on Xbox One via backwards compatibility.
The game was not meant to be published publicly and had become available due to an "error" on Microsoft's part. This error made something very clear, Red Dead Redemption in internal "quality" testing at Microsoft because it is on of the "upcoming releases" for backwards compatibility on the Xbox One.
Why would Rockstar waste time and resources with a remaster when fans will be able to get a much cheaper version? Plus, Amazon sales numbers shot up for Red Dead Redemption when it was playable on Xbox One. Why put in extra work when you can do no work and get a ton of money? It doesn't add up.
5. The title isn't real
The leak indicated that the coming entry in the western franchise will be titled 'Red Dead Redemption 2: Legends of the West'.
The title was also used in previous rumors and "leaks" dating as far back as this time last year. It's a rumor that has come and gone before, just like the title being Red Dead Revolution. The "leaker" probably thought "Well, if I make the title something that was previously rumored it'll look more legit!".
Looking back at Rockstar's vast catalogue of titles, not many of them have subtitles. Sure, some do like Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas but they tend to order their games numerically, they haven't had a subtitled game since Midnight Club: Los Angeles way back in 2008. This isn't counting the Grand Theft Auto IV or Red Dead Redemption DLC's as those are not technically new games, just expansions. It would be odd to scrap the pattern they have going for Red Dead already where the title is typically Red Dead *insert word that starts with R*. It would make more sense to call it Red Dead Revenge, Red Dead Revolution, or even Red Dead Refrigirator. It makes the author even less credible since it would appear they don't know about Red Dead Revolver and think Red Dead Redemption is the first game in the series.
In addition to that, Rockstar doesn't typically make direct sequels (with the exception of Max Payne) and a name like 'Red Dead Redemption 2: Legends of the West' would imply that it has some sort of relation to its predecessor. Sure, they could make a sequel with Jack Marston, but for those that remember the end of Red Dead Redemption it wraps up pretty nicely and gets rid of any loose ends.
If this all somehow comes true, I will happily eat my words. As much as I'd love for them to reveal a new Red Dead game, it probably won't happen at E3 2016. It's easy to get excited and look over the facts, but one of the biggest rules of the internet is you can't believe everything you read on the internet.
It's no secret that there is another Red Dead game in the works. Red Dead Redemption was a massive success critically and financially. The question is, when are we going to see the third game in the western series? It's only a matter of time, and everyone wants to claim they know something about the game whether it's true or not — everyone wants a piece of that sweet Rockstar pie.
Recently lots of rumors regarding the much anticipated sequel have been popping up out of the blue, but there's a lot of holes in these rumors. The most recent rumor has Red Dead Redemption 2 being revealed at E3 2016 and details that there will be a "much bigger" world that the original had. The "leak" went on to state that Red Dead Redemption would be getting a remaster.
We shouldn't get too excited for Red Dead Redemption 2, especially since the most recent 'leak' seems unfounded.
And before you say it, yes we know Red Dead Redemption was the second game in the series and that Red Dead Revolver was the first back on PS2 in the early 2000's.
1. The 'leak' regurgitates old information
The whole leak just tells us information that has been given to us by a Reddit user in the past, who claimed to be Danny Ross – a former Rockstar employee and member of the Opie and Anthony show. Ross suggested that Rockstar is allegedly working on Red Dead Redemption 2, a rumor that comes to light every year prior to E3.
Prior to Ross' comments, a rumor circulated (again, prior to E3) that Rockstar was working on 'Red Dead Revolution,' the follow-up to Redemption. The rumor went on to state that the successor would tell the story of John Marston's son, Jack Marston.
Keep in mind, none of those people have any credibility either. Every year we get the same bit of information with a new twist. There's always a tease for the next major gaming event, a new title and some sort of suggestion about the story/game.
These rumors around Red Dead Redemption 2 are perpetuated by the game's popularity and that Take-Two Interactive's CEO Strauss Zelnick called the Red Dead franchise as important as Grand Theft Auto, calling it a permanent franchise.
2. The source has no credibility
Typically if you were keen on leaking a game of this scale, you would reach out to credible outlets to ensure the leak will gain as much publicity as possible. FragHero seems like an odd choice when Kotaku and IGN typically deal with outing rumors.
The anonymous leaker claims to be a friend of an ex-Rockstar Games employee with no proof to back that up. Obviously, they didn't state their name or anything because if the leaks turn out to be true Rockstar could follow through with legal action, but it doesn't appear as though anyone else has confirmed these leaks.
3. Rockstar rarely attends to E3
Rockstar doesn't need to go to E3, their games sell like hot cakes. They don't need to spend 5-10 minutes on a big fancy stage flaunting their next big game. When they do feel like revealing something at E3, they usually give some trailer (or tattoo) to a partner like Sony or Microsoft and that's the end of it. No demos, just a trailer and that's on rare occasions.
Rockstar typically doesn't announce games at E3 either. They just announce it when they feel like it. The only time in recent memory Rockstar has done anything at E3 was when they announced Grand Theft Auto V was coming to Xbox One, PS4 and PC but that wasn't a new original game, it was a remaster.
When they announce a game, it's usually out of nowhere. They want to catch you off guard and also don't want you to be distracted by other games that could possibly overshadow their title hence why they avoid E3. For example, Rockstar announced Grand Theft Auto V at the end of October of 2011. Literally nothing of interest was happening in the gaming industry at that time. To further back this up Red Dead Redemption was officially announced in February 2009 and Max Payne 3 was announced in March of that same year. Rockstar won't announce Red Dead 3 at a major event. They're going to catch you off guard on some random day on some random month at some random time of day. They don't like to be predictible, and it works in their favor.
Also keep in mind, this game is not coming out in 2017 if it exists. Rockstar said Max Payne 3 was coming out in winter of 2009, and it came out in the summer of 2012. Red Dead Redemption also had the same issue. Sony debuted a trailer for Red Dead Redemption at E3 in 2006. At the time it had no title and little details were known. The game was never seen again until 2009 when it was "re-revealed". Rockstar doesn't usually stick to their schedule, their games get delayed numerous times until they think it's perfect.
Yes, Take-Two did mention that they will have a big presence at this year's E3, but they have other major franchises under their belt like Borderlands, Mafia, and BioShock. They know Rockstar can handle themselves with promoting their games, while some fans may still need some extra convincing for their other titles which is what they will most likely focus on at E3.
