Read Dead Redemption is almost ready to play in Xbox One

Red Dead Redemption, Rockstar’s hit open-world Western video game, is the latest title to make its way to Xbox One’s backwards compatibility list.

By all accounts, this revelation was made prematurely, and Microsoft and Rockstar have taken steps to stop anyone from actually playing the game just yet. Apparently they want us to wait for an official announcement, which doesn’t sound very Wild West to me. That’s silly and unfortunate, but also a typical and unsurprising response in the video game business.

Nonetheless, this is bang-up news for two reasons.

First, if you can rustle up an old copy of Red Dead Redemption, you’ll soon be able to pop it into your Xbox One and start riding around the American West as cowboy John Marston.

Second, Red Dead Redemption’s return from the bone orchard might indicate a bigger play on Rockstar’s part: Its long-awaited sequel.

Red Dead Redemption launched in 2010, and was itself a successor to 2004′s Red Dead Revolver. Notably, that’s a six-year wait. A 2016 release of the third game would be right on the money as far as time-lines go.

Take-Two Interactive, which owns 2K Games and Rockstar, doesn’t have any really big games slated for 2016 either, and there’s no doubt that a new Red Dead game would make great big bundles of cash.

Don't get your hopes up too high but, although it's not yet confirmed, this is really a good news. And regardless, we get to play Red Dead Redemption on Xbox One, which is terrific. Sure, it’s a last-gen game and looks a bit dated now, but it’s still a damn fine sight for sore eyes.