Rockstar games is not having to do much to build hype for its upcoming Red Dead Redemption 2, a sequel to 2010’s hugely successful western. The gameplay video speaks for itself, and it looks absolutely amazing. The new story will actually be a prequel to the original Red Dead, putting players among the Van der Lind gang 12 years before John Marston begins his quest to hunt them down. This time, the playable character will be Arthur Morgan, the gang’s enforcer. And yes, the former protagonist John Marston will also appear, as a whippersnapper (relatively speaking).

Josh Bass, art director at Rockstar San Diego, and Aaron Garbut, director of art at Rockstar North, recently spoke with THR about the sequel, saying in part that, “In Red Dead Redemption 2 you get to see that gang, including Marston, at the peak of their notoriety and at the very moment things begin to fall apart. This story focuses on Arthur Morgan, Dutch’s most trusted enforcer. Adopted into the gang by the Dutch when he was a young boy, Arthur considers the gang to be his family — Dutch has given his life some much‐needed purpose, and the gang has served as the one positive and constant in Arthur’s life.”