For a brief moment, Red Dead Redemption appeared to be playable on Xbox One, as part of a growing list of Xbox 360 games that are backwards compatible on Microsoft's new system.
Then the rug was pulled out from beneath us. Digital cowboys everywhere wept big, blue tears. Red Dead Redemption wasn't playable on Xbox One afterall---at least, not yet. Turns out, the game is still in the testing phase, meaning it's making its way to Xbox One someday, just not today.
"Microsoft tests all Xbox 360 games with our emulator to ensure a quality experience across a breadth of titles," Xbox's Major Nelson told forum users on reddit. "Due to an error, some of the games currently in test were accidentally made available. We have since removed access to those games, and apologize for any confusion this may have caused. We will have more information on upcoming releases soon."
Halo Wars, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and Tekken Tag Tournament 2, were also briefly available and then shuttered behind an impossible update.
It's too bad these games aren't available right now, but I can't feel too down about any of it. This just means a longer wait. At least we know Red Dead Redemption is on the way to Xbox One.
Better yet, this could still indicate that Rockstar plans to announce a sequel soon. Whether that's just wishful thinking remains to be seen, but we can dream.
