Rockstar Games has released a brand new trailer for Red Dead Redemption 2, the acclaimed studio's upcoming return to the Old West. No release date was announced, but the trailer does offer a first glimpse at the game's protagonist.

Many fans had wondered whether the game - which is set well before its 2010 predecessor - would star that game's protagonist John Marston . Instead, we'll play as a new protagonist called Arthur Morgan.

Morgan is a member of the Van der Linde gang, who raise hell across America's heartland and were a keyplot point of the previous game.

This is because they're led by a man called Dutch Van der Linde, a character from the seven-year-old game who is seen in a trailer.

The game is still set for release in Spring 2018.

The original Red Dead Redemption is a critically acclaimed masterpiece and remains one of the famed developer's finest titles, alongside the studio's last game, Grand Theft Auto 5, one of the best selling video games of all time.

GTA 5 was originally released in 2013 for Xbox 360 and PS3, before being re-released for PS4 and Xbox One the following year. That makes Red Dead Redemption 2 Rockstar's first game developed purely for the newer consoles.

Announced only for PS4 and Xbox One, no PC version has yet been confirmed, despite appeals from fans.

Despite its name, Red Dead Redemption 2 is actually the third game in Rockstar's western series, following its predecessor and PS2 title Red Dead Revolver.

"An epic tale of life in America's unforgiving heartland, the game's vast and atmospheric world will also provide the foundation for a brand new online multiplayer experience," a description on Rockstar's website reads.

That brand new multiplayer experience will almost certainly be inspired by Grand Theft Auto 5's GTA Online, which has been an enormous money-spinner for Rockstar and parent company TakeTwo.

Red Dead Redemption 2 Rockstar Games