Red Dead Online's Mexico Map May Be a Big Missed Opportunity
There are details, themes, and features that are inseparable from the Red Dead Redemption franchise. Whether it's the fight against civilization or the idea of the rugged individual, there's so much that makes the franchise what it is. Even tighter are the games, as while Red Dead Online may now be a standalone release, it cannot be removed from Red Dead Redemption 2. In the same vein, RDR2 cannot be removed from the first game, and neither can be removed even from Red Dead Revolver.
A lot of what defines the franchise today was established then, and one among many is the location of Mexico. For a variety of reasons, it frequently appears in the franchise. Red Dead Revolver takes place around the border, with a few trips over as well such as with Fort Diego. Nuevo Paraiso in Red Dead Redemption is that game's manifestation of Mexico, but many may note that there's no counter part in the sequel. It could be argued that it's because Red Dead Redemption 2's Guarma takes a similar role, but since players have actually stumbled into Mexico, it remains that RDR2 is still connected to the region.
In-game, the region of Mexico is described as inaccessible due to a breakdown between the two countries involved, and as far as in-game explanations go, this makes a ton of sense. The first game sees a revolution take place in Mexico, so it could have been even more volatile beforehand. Not that RDR2's Arthur Morgan couldn't handle it, of course, but it is a reason. Yet, that doesn't stop players from being able to peep the area.
The geography is exactly the same, though most of the seeable map of Mexico remains empty. Rockstar Games did clearly put some work into it, though, as it has its improvements and new assets, if barely, over the original. However, none of this is legitimately accessible in Red Dead Redemption 2, and the same can be said of Red Dead Online. Players know that Mexico exists in some sort of code, but none have ever accessed it without exploits.
Sometimes, these "exploits" are entirely unintentional, as one Red Dead Online player spawned in Mexico just a few days ago. Further back, shortly after release and for a few months thereafter, Red Dead 2 players glitched into Mexico and/or attempted to access it. Many believed it was being saved as an expansion for Red Dead Redemption 2, and others believed it could be used as an expansion for Red Dead Online. All of this would seemingly suggest as much, but just as time works against John and Arthur, it's the same for Red Dead too.
Mexico has been a big deal in Red Dead Redemption 2 since launch effectively, yet it has always remained in the background of the game and the minds of many. As it stands, whether it was originally intended or not and whether it was intended for RDR2, RDO, or both, it may be that Rockstar is brute forcing Mexico out of the franchise. There's a lot of reasons that this could be the case, but assuming that a Mexico expansion for Red Dead was indeed in the works at some point, it's probably a missed opportunity now.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is nearing three years old now, but there's been no indication from Rockstar Games that there's any interest in single-player DLC. Many look at Red Dead Online as an attempt at GTA Online again, and while it doesn't exactly measure up, it's been enough that all post-launch content has focused on it. A Mexico expansion for the main game is made even more unlikely due to the existence of RDO.
That begs the question if this could be a major expansion for Red Dead Online, and that does seem likelier. Again, Red Dead Online did just make a big deal of its standalone release, but therein lies a problem. That was the perfect time for a big new expansion, so any time from here on seems less likely. This is especially true when taking into account Rockstar's current projects: Grand Theft Auto 6's incremental development, as well as next-gen ports of GTA Online. And that's not to say anything about any other projects that could be in the works.
Rockstar is held in high regard in the gaming industry, and for good reason. It puts games out at a snail's pace, at least in recent years, but the games it does put out are almost always everyone's GOTY. It says something of the company's pedigree, but at the same time, that comes at a cost. It's been forever since the last Midnight Club released, the hopes of Bully 2 have been dashed again and again, and GTA 6 is even more of a pipe dream than a reality for now. With that in mind, it stands to reason that any plans for Mexico in RDR2/RDO have fallen to the wayside for the same reason.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is available now for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.
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