According to a post on reddit, Red Dead Redemption 2 will feature flashbacks to the life of John Marston.

The post is reported to be based off a thread from 4chan, so it should be taken with a pretty hefty grain of salt. That said, the leaker is rumoured to be a Rockstar insider, and has leaked info previously on GTA Online which turned out to be true.

Among the info divulged is details surrounding the plot of Red Dead Redemption 2, which is said to revolve around young Jack Marston, the son of the John Marston, the protagonist from the first game. It takes place three years after the events of Red Dead Redemption, which would put Jack in his early 20s.

Sometime after the events of RDR, Jack comes across his father’s journal. As he follows in his father’s footsteps, several flashback scenes of John’s life provide clues to his past, as do several of John’s friends from the previous game. The story is said to lean heavily on these flashbacks in order to illuminate the senior Marston’s life.

The reddit post didn’t just stop at the story - it also gave several details for the online multiplayer as well. It is said to contain its own economy, allowing players to buy and sell weapons between each other. Those weapons are thought to be greatly expanded on the original, including gatling guns that can be mounted on the back of carts. Horses will be available for purchase as well, it being a Wild West game and all, but also exotic mounts like zebras and buffalo.

While creating your online character you’ll be able to join 5 or 6 gangs, each with their own secret hideout that can only be accessed by gang members. There will also be tons of stuff to do; everything from the first game is back, but there will also be fishing, hunting, horse racing, gambling, and of course, bounties. There’s also going to be some less-than-legal activities as well, such as bank robberies, saloon robberies, train robberies - basically everything and everyone can be robbed. You’ll also be able to kidnap prominent town members for ransom.

If even half the things in the reddit post are true, Red Dead Redemption 2 is going to be better than the original by a mile. You can read about our analysis of the game’s trailer in our earlier post here. RDR2 is slated to release sometime next Spring.