Rockstar Games has gone all-out with a newly announced product line of collectible merchandise for Red Dead Redemption 2. While some games get a few pieces of apparel, Rockstar has thrown a much wider net with items that probably never appeared as video game merchandise before being part of the lineup.
That's not to say that apparel isn't on offer, it's just that apparel is the least interesting part of this. A total of 30 new products were revealed from a range of manufacturers that Rockstar teamed up with. Availability is still in question, but you should keep an eye on the Rockstar Warehouse for the pre-orders.
To get the basic stuff out of the way first, there are 10 t-shirt variations among the newly announced merchandise. Four designs are available in a pair of colour combinations and another two designs are each available in just one variation.
Among the shirts is the one previously seen in the Red Dead Redemption 2 press kit, however unfortunately the metal mug from that same kit isn't among the other items revealed. Stickers and pins, though different from the press kit ones, are also going to be available.
Rockstar truly embraced the frontier setting of the Red Dead franchise with the other collectibles, as many of them are highly unexpected - pioneers in the field of video game merchandise, so to say.
The Dynamite USB Charger is a small power pack shaped like a single stick of dynamite, complete with fuse and Red Dead Redemption 2 branding. There's also a premium wool blanket from Pendleton featuring members of the Van der Linde Gang.
In case you ever had oddly specific desires such as a fire branded Red Dead Redemption 2 domino set, Rockstar obliges. The set comes in a hinged wooden box, and the dominoes themselves are black with red detailing. The ornate branded metal bottle opener goes well with the collapsible Rockstar logo shot glass. If you smoke (or are a pyromaniac), you can choose between the brass Zippo lighter or the engraved matchbox slipcase.
Among the oddest inclusions in this product line is a trio of scented candles, all cast in black wax. They come in the shape of a barrel, three sticks of dynamite, or in a traditional glass candle holder.
Even stranger is the pair of glass decoupage trays, one with a stylized Rockstar Games logo, and the other with a catalog page right out of Red Dead Redemption 2's gun stores.
Why anyone would want Red Dead branded decoupage trays is beyond us, but hey, this stands testament to how mainstream this IP is.
There's also a set of three Metal Earth 3D puzzles to be built in the face of a sawed-off shotgun, a Maxim gun and a locomotive. A series of leather items include cases for iPads and iPhones as well as a valet tray. Last but not least, a pair of Rockstar Logo keychains close the lineup.
This is a strong merchandise showing with a very wide range of items available allowing fans to sneak a bit of Red Dead Redemption 2 into their daily lives. In some cases, such as with the decoupage trays, the branding is fairly subtle allowing them to fit into rooms with otherwise standard decor.
Release dates for these items have not been announced, but we'd guess they'll be available around the same time as the game.
