Red Dead Cowboys: Has Rockstar Killed the Western?

While Westerns have quite a strong following in Hollywood, the genre has long sat in the shadow of other styles in the gaming world. Of course, much of this has to do with the popularity of other themes, like sci-fi and fantasy, as well as the overbearing presence of Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption franchise. The latter company’s mismanagement of the outlaw series, especially with regard to its online aspect, does seem to have left Western fans in the dark.

Spaghetti Westerns

Back in July 2022, eurogamer.net reported that Red Dead Redemption 2’s multiplayer mode would no longer receive updates. At just four years after launch, this seemed to confirm that its creator really doesn’t seem to have much interest in anything that isn’t Grand Theft Auto-related. In fact, only GTA V and the upcoming VI maintain Rockstar’s interest, as the recent re-release of the Grand Theft Auto Collection was shipped out to another developer and brought out in a sorry state.

Unfortunately, Red Dead Redemption was one of only a few Western games that were keeping the genre afloat. Since 2010, the most prominent cowboy titles have shifted away from true gunslinging, in favor of strategy (Hard West and Desperados), comedy (West of Loathing), and horror (Evil West). The older titles of Fallout: New Vegas, Call of Juarez: Gunslinger, and Gun did pay homage to the type of shootouts found in the spaghetti Westerns of  Sergio Leone.

Whether this recent detour has anything to do with Red Dead’s influence is anybody’s guess. The question is, does the future look any rosier for Westerns following the game’s premature end? Well, yes and no. Cowboys and cowgirls have long had a holdout in another sphere of entertainment, namely, casino gaming, which continues to provide Western-related content for starved fans. Obviously, though, these titles provide quite a different experience from the standard video game.

Above Snakes

The bonus.net.nz website notes that Rapid Casino tries to get people playing by offering free spins on the slot Cowboys Gold. This game features the usual gunslinger tropes, as well as something a bit more supernatural – an outlaw skeleton. The problem regular gaming struggles with is that Westerns have a niche appeal, which makes creating them a risky gambit for developers outside the casino space. As such, many of the titles due out in 2023 are indie ones.

The major releases will be Outlaws of the Old West, which is a Virtual Basement game that’s been in early access since 2019, and SteamWorld Build, thunderfulgames.com‘s cute city-builder. Cowboy Life Simulator is also on the release schedule. Blood West should slot neatly into the same horror bracket as Evil West, while Above Snakes offers a unique take on the survival genre, starring an American Indian girl. Unfortunately, many of these games lack precise release dates.

Overall, pure Westerns don’t seem to be able to generate the same kind of buzz as RPGs or FPS titles. With Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption series now probably dead for real for at least another decade, times are uncertain in the Wild West.