Red Dead Redemption 2 has a cutscene hidden within the game files that reveals a large section of content that was cut from the Rockstar sandbox western, a fascinating find that leaves us wondering what else may have been trimmed from the open-world game, as we also continue scratching our heads over a possible GTA 6 release date.
As you may recall, Red Dead Redemption 2 contains a side mission called A Fisher of Fish, whereby Arthur Morgan meets an angler named Jeremy Gill, who challenges him to catch a variety of rare and unique legendary fish from around the RDR2 map. In the game as it was released, the quest is really only possible to complete once the narrative switches to the epilogue, and you begin playing as John Marston, since many of the fish are found in the Blackwater and New Austin regions which, as Arthur, are effectively inaccessible.
However, a cutscene unearthed in the archives of RDR2’s PC version seems to show that Arthur, originally, would meet with Jeremy Gill and be tasked with catching a fish in Rio Bravo, the desert settlement buried deep in New Austin’s centre. This suggests that, contrary to the released game, Arthur would have actually been able to travel to Blackwater and New Austin, the areas from the first Red Dead Redemption, and complete missions there without being chased and almost certainly killed by the lawmen that otherwise constantly patrol.
Remember, if you try to cross into Blackwater as Arthur in the actual game, infinitely spawning and unerringly accurate bounty hunters will almost immediately gun you down, making the map from the first game essentially inaccessible. The hidden cutscene implies this was not, however, initially the case, and that the world map and potentially entire story for Red Dead Redemption 2 could have once been explored very differently.
Discovered by Kush Qrox, a YouTuber who has unearthed a range of cut Red Dead Redemption 2 content, the cutscene is unfinished and a little buggy, as the model for Jeremy Gill seems to not load in, but undoubtedly you can hear Arthur reference Rio Bravo, and the end of the scene has him standing by a small lake within New Austin.
So there you go. That old slippery fish Rockstar had some very different plans for Red Dead Redemption 2 but they were presumably cut to make improvements to the game’s – admittedly excellent – narrative and story.
Speaking of Rockstar plans, if you’re wondering about the next Grand Theft Auto, it’s apparently well underway, and you can read all we know in our guide to the GTA 6 release date, news, and rumours. Alternatively, use our guide to RDR2 legendary animals and where to find them if you fancy finishing the Jeremy Gill side-mission, or maybe check out some of the other best western games or best sandbox games on PC, which naturally also include GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2.