History WhatCouldHaveBeen / RedDeadRedemption2

* There's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9DbK1csSrU an unused model of a river monster with associated voicefiles for it roaring]], which was likely a cut easter egg.

* Arthur is marked in the character model files as “Character 0” while [[spoiler: John]] is “Character 3”, suggesting that there were two other playable characters somewhere along the line. A leak has suggested that originally the high-honor ending had you play the epilogue as [[spoiler: John]] while low-honor had you play as [[spoiler: Dutch]]. Who the other character could possibly have been remains anyone’s guess.

** There's an unused prop assigned to the intro that looks like a bundled up blanket you'd wrap a baby with, with the name of the file being "P_CS_BABYINTRO001X", seemingly relating to the story Roger Clark told on a panel about there being an early version of the script in which [[spoiler:Arthur's and Eliza's baby frozes to death in Colter in the game's intro.]]

* Voice lines from Eliza (Arthur's [[spoiler: deceased lover]]), as well as characters mentioning her, can be found in the game files [[https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Cxwy5SEevmeb255cvVFu9nIAuG3AW1Tl]]. Not only that, but she was going to interact with [[spoiler: John in the epilogue]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5ren6rv2iQ&feature=emb_logo]] suggesting she was going to be alive throughout the main story and epilogue. This complicates things, as Arthur can be seen walking away from two graves marked with crosses in the third trailer, which possibly means that Eliza's fate was changed relatively late into development.
** There are remnants in the files of three missions featuring Eliza: One seems to imply that Eliza would run away from the camp in Colter, with Abigail asking Arthur to bring her back to camp. The second one is assigned to Clemens' Cove, with the only informations remaining being the location, and a voiceline of Ms Grimshaw asking Arthur if he saw her around. The last one seemed to involve her using a ledger in Saint Denis, with both [[spoiler:Arthur and John]] being able to trigger said mission.

* Ned Luke (the actor for [[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV Michael De Santa]]) apparently filmed a cameo for the game at some point, but his lines were cut from the final version of the game.

* There's an unused model of a river monster (with associated voicefiles) in the files, which was likely a cut easter egg.

* Arthur has DummiedOut lines that imply he would have been able to ride the horses of the other gang members. In the final game, he is unable to do so.

* New Austin, while absent from the leaked map from 2016, may have had a larger role before being cut down significantly - there's a lot of content and files that suggests that even if it were OutOfFocus, it was still going to be accessible before the epilogue.

** The 1907 version of the area has no graves with a date-of-death after 1899, and the games files include 1899 & 1907 versions of each shopkeeper - the final game only ever uses one of these models for them. This has led to a theory that the main reason New Austin cannot be explored until the epilogue is that Rockstar simply ran out of time before they could fully create both 1899 and 1907 versions of the region, and used the assets intended for both to build its current version, and the lockdown over the area was likely to make the fact that the area [[MedievalStasis doesn’t change after the timeskip]] less obvious.

* Thieves Landing has interior files for an exotics shop like Van Horn, and the files mention both a fence ([[RefittedForSequel Which the town has in]] ''[[RefittedForSequel Online]]'') and a ticket shop, suggesting it was meant to be more than just a gang hideout.

** Similarly, the mysterious caveman model from the files is mentioned in Ambarino scripting, likely as a Point-Of-Interest. In all likelyhood, he was meant to be found in a section of the map that later got cut.

* Guido Martelli, one of Angelo Bronte's henchmen [[spoiler:who later takes over for him in the epilogue]] has both a voice actor in the credits and [[https://www.reddit.com/r/reddeadmysteries/comments/dy1a4a/guido_martellis_face/ a character model]] in the files. He does actually appear in the game, standing right beside Bronte during the mission "''The Gilded Cage''", but the fact that he had a voice actor suggests his role was originally much bigger.
* Arthur is marked in the character model files as “Character 0” while [[spoiler: John]] is “Character 3”, suggesting that there were two other playable characters somewhere along the line. A leak has suggested that originally the high-honor ending had you play the epilogue as [[spoiler: John]] while low-honor was [[spoiler: Dutch]]. Who the other character could possibly have been remains anyone’s guess.

* The sidequest "''The Noblest of Men, and a Woman''", originally involvemeeting up with ''five'' gunslingers instead of the four encountered in the final game. The cut fifth gunslinger, Frank Heck, [[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/reddeadredemption/images/e/ec/Unnamed_Famous_Gunslinger_Unused_rdr2.jpg has a model in the game's files]], but even more interesting is that [[https://reddead.fandom.com/wiki/Fank_Heck?file=RDR2-Frank_Heck_log.jpg this cut log screen]] implies that he would have been encountered in '''Tumbleweed''', again, most certainly another remnant from when [[spoiler:Arthur was meant to be able to explore New Austin]].

* The Van Horn fence upstairs room is called "Exotics shop" in the files. Judging by the name, players could likely sell orchids there - in the final game, they can only be removed in Algernon's sidequest, after which they become [[UselessItem completely useless]].

* In the same link as above, unused lines suggest that more towns had fences/horse fences, including Valentine, Blackwater, Manzanita Post, Lagras, Butcher's Creek and Benedict point. They could also forge papers for unknown effect (presumably making horses sell for higher). There was a "Millesani mine" outfit, and Emerald Ranch had a general store.

** The 1907 version of the area has no graves with a date-of-death after 1899, and the games files include 1899 & 1907 versions of each shopkeeper - the final game only ever uses one of these models for them. This has led to a theory that the main reason New Austin cannot be explored until the epilogue is that Rockstar simply ran out of time before they could fully create both 1899 and 1907 versions of the region, and used the assets intended for both to build its current version.
** Pacific Union Railroad camp has an info card if you go to where it is in 1911 and bring up the card. Likewise, Jack in the epilogue mentions the Great Plains train track, which isn't there in the final release.

* The Van Horn fence upstairs room is called "Exotics shop" in the files. Judging by the name, players could likely sell orchids there - in the final game, they can only be removed in Algernon's sidequest, after which they become nothing more than VendorTrash.

* Thieves Landing has interior files for an exotics shop like Van Horn, and the files mention both a fence ([[RefittedForSequel The town has a fence]] in ''Online'') and a ticket shop, suggesting it was meant to be more than just a gang hideout.
* Annesburg saloon used to have an interior. Caliga Hall's interior used to be accessible outside of cutscenes.

* As proven in [[https://twitter.com/VideoTech_/status/1295190917213757443?s=20 this tweet]], Seth Briars was/is intended to be an NPC in ''Red Dead Online'', but was either cut for unknown reasons or is being reserved for a future update, most likely a Halloween-themed one considering his reputation as a grave robber/[[ILoveTheDead lover]] and his AscendedExtra status in ''[[VideoGame/RedDeadRedemptionUndeadNightmare Undead Nightmare]]''.

* The Van Horn fence upstairs room is called "Exotics shop" in the files. Judging by the name, players could likely sell orchids there - in the final game, they can only be removed in Algernon's sidequest, making them the only plants that cannot be sold.

** The Rodes fence has multiple trinkets on a shelf in his store that are coded into the game but unused; those are the turtle shell trinket, the toad legs trinket, and the squirrel tooth trinket.

* The sidequest "''The Noblest of Men, and a Woman''", originally involvemeeting up with ''five'' gunslingers instead of the four encountered in the final game. The cut fifth gunslinger, Frank Heck, [[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/reddeadredemption/images/e/ec/Unnamed_Famous_Gunslinger_Unused_rdr2.jpg has a model in the game's files]], but even more interesting is that [[https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/reddeadredemption/images/6/66/RDR2-Frank_Heck_log.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20200730223404 this cut log screen]] implies that he would have been encountered in '''Tumbleweed''', again, most certainly another remnant from when [[spoiler:Arthur was meant to be able to explore New Austin]].

** [[https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/reddeadredemption/images/7/75/Beta_Guard_at_Sisika.png If this loading screen is to be believed]], the guards at Sisika originally didn't have the uniforms they wear in the final game.