Red Dead Redemption 2's brutal opening was supposed to be worse, but Arthur Morgan was "very, very nasty," so Rockstar Games "ended up cutting it"

 

Red Dead Redemption 2’s Original Opening Was Even Darker, Rockstar Co-Founder Reveals

The opening act of Red Dead Redemption 2 was already infamous for its grueling snow-covered trek, but Rockstar Games co-founder Dan Houser recently revealed that the game’s introduction was initially set to be even harsher for protagonist Arthur Morgan.

In a discussion on the Lex Fridman Podcast, Houser explained that the original beginning had Arthur behaving “very, very nasty,” including a storyline in which a baby had just died. The character was also portrayed as unsympathetic toward his girlfriend who had endured the loss, making Arthur significantly less likable from the start.

"There was a bit at the start of RDR where [Arthur] had a baby who just died," Houser said. "And we ended up cutting it, which was the right decision because it was too tough in some ways."

Houser noted that while the darker opening would have been interesting to explore, it risked making Arthur immediately hateable. Instead, the final version maintains his rough and occasionally harsh demeanor, but with enough humanity early on to make players invest in his redemptive arc.

"What I enjoyed about the original idea was Arthur's inability to access his emotions," Houser reflected, contrasting it with the emotional collapse he experiences near the game’s conclusion. "Even so, the games ended up the way they were supposed to be."

The insight offers a fascinating glimpse into the careful narrative balancing Rockstar employed to ensure Arthur remained a compelling protagonist while still delivering the emotional weight of his journey.

References:

• Lex Fridman Podcast, Episode with Dan Houser, 2025.