Rockstar began shipping off promotional merchandise for "Red Dead Redemption 2" to retailers earlier this month and it was undoubtedly a cause for celebration. Aside from upping the anticipation levels, a good number of these promotional materials had a release season on them this Fall 2017.

That said, some fans have voiced their concerns over whether or not Rockstar will make the deadline. Meanwhile, huge news regarding playable characters and NPC's may have just been leaked.

John's Gang, NPC Leak. Aside from releasing the teaser trailer for "Red Dead Redemption 2", there hasn't been much information regarding the next instalment of this game. The closest we could get to an official "what to expect" was from boss Strauss Zelnick, who said players can expect "great story elements" and "great gameplay elements." Other than that, not even the trailer can provide solid clues.

But thanks to an alleged Rockstar informant, new speculations have come out. According to Daily Star, the insider who correctly leaked the last two "GTA 5 Online" updates has some pretty big news regarding the upcoming sequel. "Three playable characters of John's former gang," the insider writes, "and John isn't one," the insider revealed.

If this conjecture turns out to be solid truth, Daily Star points out that this could mean RDR2 taking the same path as GTA 5; three main characters to take lead and thousands of different ways the story could go. As interesting as it would be to know who these are, the informant doesn't expound on that juicy bit of info.

No Delay, RDR2 Launches 2017. Rockstar has a reputation for developing open-world games that are absolutely stunning in terms of visuals, plot and memorable characters. Unfortunately, they also have a reputation for missing deadlines.

As Gaming Bolt puts it, "what was the last Rockstar game that didn't eventually get delayed?" Given their track record, some fans can't help but feel apprehensive. According to iTechPost, however, having the promotional merchandise distributed to retailers this early on in the year is a good sign. It could mean that development is ahead of schedule.

It could also mean Rockstar is trying to rake in pre-orders this early one. One way or another, the promotional materials are out and fans have their eyes set on Fall 2017. "Red Dead Redemption 2" will be made available for Xbox One and PlayStation 4.