Red Dead Redemption 2’s Cain Dog Actor Has Died in Real Life

The actor that played the dog, Cain, in Red Dead Redemption 2 has died in real life. The way video games are made these days are pretty wild, especially given how lifelike many of them are. What used to be small sprites on the screen eventually evolved into animated characters with voices done in a recording booth and then evolved into what we have today, actors performing all of their scenes on a soundstage in mocap outfits, allowing their full body and facial performance to be added into the game along with their voice. This has even extended beyond just humans as animals like horses, dogs, and other trained animals have all been captured and put into games.

One game that really went the extra mile to capture as many details as it possibly could for a dense and rich experience is Red Dead Redemption 2. It’s filled with tons of incredibly memorable and iconic performances, both big and small. One performance came from a dog. There’s a dog named Cain in Red Dead Redemption 2 that wanders into the camp and greets Dutch and young Jack, resulting in the two agreeing to keep him. Dutch decides to name him Cain, seemingly after the biblical character. It’s a pretty cute moment, especially in a game with some pretty heavy moments. The character was played by a dog named Einstein and unfortunately, his owner, Red Dead Redemption 2 animator Jason Barnes revealed on Instagram that the dog passed away at age 13.  

“Though our time together has come to an end, your memory will live on forever,” reads an excerpt from the Instagram post. “Red Dead Redemption 2 may immortalize you as Cain, but it is the memories we created together that truly preserve your spirit. The lessons you taught me about loyalty, love, and living life to the fullest will never be forgotten.”

It’s a pretty touching tribute and one that shows that games are made up of so much more than just pixels on a screen. Barnes told PCGamer (via GamingBible) that Einstein was known as the “best dog” in Rockstar’s New York offices. Einstein tragically died of cancer, despite expecting to live into his 20s.