GTA Online and Red Dead Online are very similar in theory. Both are online multiplayer versions of Rockstar’s huge open worlds, set in a modern San Andreas and western border around 1899 respectively. On Thursday, Rockstar announced future plans for both, and this has sparked a new wave of despair on the part of Red Dead Online fans, who feel abandoned by the developer.
The post begins by expanding on GTA Online’s future plans, which sound intriguing. Rockstar is committed to adding more game updates, fixing long-standing issues, and releasing a new update that expands the criminal careers of executives, bikers, gunmen, and nightclub owners. It also adds contact missions that allow the player to take on the role of an IAA field agent investigating rival criminals.
The news about Red Dead Online is a little less cheerful. The post says:
Over the last few years, we have been constantly moving more development resources towards the next entry in the Grand Theft Auto series, understanding more than ever the need to exceed player expectations and make this next entry the best it can be. and as a result, we are in the process of making some changes in the way we support Red Dead Online.
First, with new and experienced players taking part in the myriad of activities that are already added to this rich world, such as specialist roles, story-based cooperative missions, competitive confrontation modes, and more. , we will continue to show these unique additions through Red Dead. Monthly events online as we move forward, so players of all levels can enjoy all that the great frontier has to offer.
In addition to seasonal special events and experience enhancements, as well as other changes to improve and maintain a healthy Red Dead Online environment, we plan to take advantage of existing modes and add new Telegram missions this year, instead of delivering major thematic content updates like previous years, and we will continue to highlight and share the creative efforts of our Red Dead community at every opportunity through Newswire and beyond.
Rockstar is committed to continuing to support Red Dead Online by increasing rewards for certain missions, adding “seasonal special events” and adding new Telegram missions. While this is certainly better than nothing, it’s a far cry from what dedicated Red Dead Online fans expected. In 2020, fans dressed up as clowns to protest the cadence of the updates. In early 2022, fans pushed #SaveRedDeadOnline to the top of Twitter’s trend lists in an attempt to capture a Rockstar response. Now, players are organizing funerals for the game on Reddit and declaring the game dead.
While Red Dead Online has a lot of nice cowboy content to enjoy, the game has lagged far behind its sister title GTA Online, and with additional resources going to Grand Theft Auto 6, it seems that those waiting for a Red Dead Renaissance will be waiting for quite some time.