Rockstar Games is no stranger to having some surprising connections or hidden details, but the origins behind Red Dead Redemption are still managing to shock players all these years later. Stretching all the way back to the original Red Dead game, some players have dug up a hidden fact that the franchise only exists thanks to an external publisher that you would never guess was connected to the series.

Recently dug up by Red Dead Redemption fans like SynthPotato on X, the original Red Dead game that started the series was actually published as a partnership with Capcom. As detailed in the post, the collaboration only occurred thanks to the Resident Evil 2 port for the Nintendo 64, which supposedly inspired Capcom to work closer with the studio that would eventually go on to create Red Dead under Rockstar.

Although Capcom wasn’t solely responsible for publishing the original Red Dead Revolver, they did play a role in supporting early development of the game while also publishing it in overseas markets. While the franchise has come a long way since its initial inception, some fans were quick to point out that it also helps explain the “almost JRPG feel” that the original game had with its over-the-top arcade-style campiness.

Even the promotional render for Red Dead Revolver looks incredibly similar to Capcom’s other CGI trailers for their own games, like Monster Hunter, offering a hidden secret that only a few dedicated fans of Capcom’s work would even notice. Even if the connection has long since been severed after Red Dead Redemption‘s success under Rockstar, it’s safe to say the beloved cowboy franchise would never have existed without Capcom’s involvement.

Resident Evil Has A Surprising Number Of Gaming Connections

As if Resident Evil 2‘s connections to Red Dead Redemption weren’t strange enough on their own, some fans also pointed out the even weirder collaboration with Resident Evil 4, which was published by Ubisoft on PC despite its in-house development by Capcom.

On the flipside, Capcom also helped publish the Japanese versions of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and the original God of War, to name a few, making for one of the strangest pieces of history from the long-lived studio. While it’s not terribly uncommon for sutidos to partner with other publishers for overseas distribution, the symbiotic relationship between Capcom and Rockstar over the years is one of the more interesting ones to date.

Aside from being one of the most influential survival horror franchises of all time, it seems that Resident Evil 2‘s impact is still being felt to this day, with Red Dead Redemption having blossomed into one of the largest-scale franchises of the modern era.

Systems

Released

October 26, 2018

ESRB

M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Drugs and Alcohol

Engine

RAGE

Multiplayer

Online Multiplayer

Cross-Platform Play

N/A

Cross Save

N/A