Red Dead Redemption 2 , a Western -themed action-adventure game developed and published by Rockstar Games , follows the story of Arthur Morgan , an outlaw and member of the Van der Linde gang. Led by Dutch van der Linde, the gang attempts to survive against government forces and rival gangs while dealing with the decline of the Wild West. Several characters reprise their roles from the game Red Dead Redemption , to which Red Dead Redemption 2 is a prequel.
Throughout their adventures, the gang come into direct conflict with several opposing forces, including wealthy oil magnate Leviticus Cornwall, crime lord Angelo Bronte, Dutch's nemesis Colm O'Driscoll, and Pinkerton agents Andrew Milton and Edgar Ross. The game's epilogue focuses on John's relationship with his family—wife Abigail and son Jack—as well as the elderly Uncle, leading into the events of the first game.
Rockstar used motion capture to record the performances of the cast, as well as cameras to capture their facial reactions for later animation. The secretive nature of Rockstar's development processes meant that the actors and the director were unsure of the future of the characters during production; the writers continued to work on the script while the actors shot their scenes in segments.
Rockstar wanted a diverse cast of characters within the Van der Linde gang and put particular focus on the individual stories behind each character.
The relationships between the characters received praise from several gaming publications , and the acting has resulted in multiple awards and nominations , including a win at The Game Awards. Red Dead Redemption 2 ' s recording sessions began in and lasted a total of 2, days, led primarily by motion capture director Rod Edge.
