Some gamers who first became acquainted with Pinkertons by playing Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption 2 have expressed surprise online after learning that the detective agency still exists, as their investigators recently made headlines. Shortly after the release of its critically acclaimed Old West epic, Take-Two Interactive was actually sued by the controversial agency for its unauthorized use of Pinkertons in Red Dead Redemption 2.
With Milton and Agent Roth recurring throughout Red Dead Redemption 2’s sprawling narrative, some players may only be learning about the Pinkertons for the first time, but the institution has been a mainstay in Western movies and novels for generations. Founded in the 1850s by Scottish immigrant Allan Pinkerton, the Pinkerton Agency served a variety of roles in the Old West, from protecting the president to investigating violations of federal law. The agency, now known as Pinkerton Consulting Investigations, has gained notoriety during its nearly 200 years in business, having been instrumental in a string of high-profile union busting campaigns at companies ranging from Carnegie Steel in 1892 to Amazon in 2022 .
While the Pinkertons have largely managed to stay out of the spotlight in recent decades, the agency is now making waves online following reports that Pinkerton investigators were sent to terrorize Magic: The Gathering YouTuber. According to YouTuber Oldschoolmtg, Magic: The Gathering publisher Wizards of the Coast hired Pinkertons to terrorize him after he inadvertently obtained a card for the upcoming March of the Aftermath of the Machine expansion. The incident caused a stir on Twitter, with many players expressing surprise that the agency still exists and that Wizards of the Coast has taken such drastic measures.
While some of the posts came from Red Dead Redemption 2 players who were surprised to find that an agency more commonly associated with hunting outlaws in the Old West is still operating in the modern world, other commenters expressed their disappointment with using an agency with a history Violent means of intimidating game content creators. Responding to news of the intimidating visits by agency investigators, one Twitter user expressed shock, “Pinkerton not only still exists, but WotC *hired them?” Another offered to anyone who opened the door Suggest, let them find out that Pinkerton agents are waiting, and remind readers that, unlike real police, the Pinkertons “have no legal power over you or anything” and are “just there to terrorize you.”
For gamers who once escaped the Pinkertons as outlaws in Red Dead Redemption 2, it might come as a bit of a shock to learn that the agency still exists and is now turning its sights on content creators. With recent headlines placing the real-world Pinkertons as villains in the eyes of some gamers, this could set the stage for Rockstar to play an even more unsavory role when Red Dead Redemption 3 launches .
Red Dead Redemption 2 is out now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.