It wouldn't be the video game industry without plenty of rumors circulating around. The latest one surrounds a supposed Red Dead Redemption: The Outlaws Collection that was alleged leaked on Amazon. The collection is stated to contain both Red Dead Redemption Remastered and an enhanced version of Red Dead Redemption 2, with a release for PS5 and Xbox Series X.However, Kotaku Weekend Editor Zack Zwiezen took to Twitter to debunk the rumors, asserting that the cover art is essentially a poorly done Photoshop job. In this fascinating thread, Zwiezen details the entire process behind how said covers were most likely made:

He first points out that the creator of the screenshot most likely searched for high quality PNG images of Arthur Morgan and John Marston, then cropped and recolored the images before superimposing them onto the PS5 and Xbox Series X case:

Next he states that the horsemen and the sun art from the leaked image are identical to the artwork found on the official Red Dead Redemption 2 cover art, with a low opacity brush used to blend the art into the image:

Finally, whoever created the leaked image seems to have messed up on the compositing of the cover and trees, which results in weird black marks on either side:

There's also another glaring error on the fake images that the thread didn't even mention -- the return by date is earlier than the release date (it seems someone forgot to crosscheck the years, oops):

Overall the evidence overwhelmingly proves that these are fake screenshots and that no such collection exists. Once again, vetting sources is vital to avoid spreading misinformation.

Back in May, Red Dead Redemption 2 was the second title from Rockstar Games to make its way to Xbox Game Pass after Grand Theft Auto V. And in July, years after launch, fans have finally solved one of the biggest mysteries in the game: the ghosts of Bolger Gate. In other Red Dead Redemption 2 news, we explored the link between RDR2 horses and Mafia 2’s cars -- explaining the ways that Rockstar wants you to appreciate them. And on a less serious tone, a recent mod lets RDR2 fans ride giant animals.

Red Dead Redemption 2 is available now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. If you haven't picked up the game yet, you can grab the game physically on Amazon to help support DualShockers. And be sure to read our review as well, our Features Editor Ryan Meitzler gave it a perfect score.