A remaster of Red Dead Redemption would be a perfect opportunity for Rockstar Games to address one small narrative inconsistency. After the events of 2018's Red Dead Redemption 2, it didn't make much sense for Arthur Morgan's impact to not be mentioned in the first game, which takes place years after the second. Considering the fact that he's the reason John Marston's alive, a few lines of dialogue would go a long way in helping with continuity between the games.
[Warning: This article contains spoilers for Red Dead Redemption 2.]
The first Red Dead Redemption was released by Rockstar Games in 2011. It follows John Marston, an outlaw forced by the government to hunt his former gang in order to save his family. The game is now revered as a modern classic and further proved that Rockstar's formula - first mastered through the Grand Theft Auto series - could work in any setting. Seven years later, the developer released Red Dead Redemption 2, introducing players to the rest of John's old gang, and RDR2 is set 12 years before the first game.
It was recently leaked that the Red Dead Redemption and GTA 4 remasters may have been canceled to allow the developer to focus solely on GTA 6. If Rockstar decides to come back to them in a few years, it could give Rockstar time to address Red Dead Redemption's most glaring plot hole: the lack of references to Arthur Morgan, RDR2's protagonist. Arthur was the one that gave John a second chance at life; so when replaying the first Red Dead, it feels a little weird for John to talk about his old life as if Arthur never existed.
How Rockstar Can Fix Red Dead's Plot Hole
Red Dead Redemption 2 - depending on the choice the player makes - ends with Arthur Morgan and John Marston on the run from both the members of Dutch's Gang that betrayed them and the Pinkerton agents that have been hunting them throughout the entire game. Before this point, the two had a conversation in which Arthur warned him that the gang was falling apart. He told John to be prepared to leave the outlaw life behind and finally be the husband and father he was supposed to be for his family. Knowing how much John had to live for, Arthur took it upon himself to keep his former gang and the Pinkertons at bay while John had time to escape the conflict. He died ensuring John could live a normal life in RDR2's surprisingly long epilogue.
The first Red Dead wasn't made with Arthur in mind, so it makes sense that he isn't mentioned at all, but that doesn't mean it needs to stay that way. If work ever resumes on the remaster, there should likely be a few references to the man that saved John's life. Toward the beginning of the first Red Dead, for example, John came clean to Bonnie MacFarlane about his past. During this scene, it wouldn't hurt for John to mention that the only reason he's alive is because of Arthur's sacrifice. There wouldn't have to be any major changes, but small references like that would go a long way in maintaining continuity from RDR2.
The future of the Red Dead Redemption remaster is unknown. Rockstar appears to be allocating all of its resources toward GTA 6, and the reception of the GTA Trilogy remasters that went so wrong surely acted as some sort of deterrent. Hopefully, it Rockstar is still committed to it after GTA 6, the remaster will be more than updated textures.