The Western epic Red Dead Redemption 2 is a crazy success and players are eager for the multiplayer mode “Red Dead Online” – but the game is in an absurd situation, says our author Schuhmann. It has nothing to do with the release of online games as we know them.
This is how it normally works: Before Destiny 2 Forsaken was released, Bungie explained in detail everything that players could expect:
Bungie has
revealed the story
already shown the first two missions,
presented the strikes,
explained the new prestige mode Gambit
shown the main characters of the new expansions in small trailers
introduced almost all gameplay details.
even teased the endgame zone a bit, which was previously taboo
The PR campaign lasted from the reveal in June 2018 until the release of Forsaken in September 2018. After that, one had the feeling of having already played Forsaken before it even started.
The fear of the cat in the bag
That’s why games do this: All this information aimed to convince players to buy the expansion for Destiny 2.
Just like Destiny 2, online games have been doing this for years.
Before players can play for the first time, they already know in detail what to expect. The PR campaigns extend over months and prepare players step by step for the moment when they first enter the game.
And many players seem to want exactly that.
The argument of the players who still demand more information is: We do not want to buy a cat in the bag.
So it is with Red Dead Online: Rockstar simply says nothing about the mode. Not even when it actually starts. It was supposed to be this week.
For a long time, it was said that they did not want to talk about the online mode until Red Dead Redemption 2 is out. But even now, a month after the release of the western epic, Rockstar is simply saying nothing.
No PR, but a warning: Rockstar goes even further. They seem to explicitly warn players before the beta launch of “Red Dead Online”.
What has been said about Red Dead Online sounds like: “Guys, this is a beta. At the beginning, it will be terrible, do not expect too much.”
From an interview with the Rockstar boss we know that recordings for Red Dead Online were still being made until the very end. In the long term, they probably want to expand the online mode like “GTA Online” with DLCs.
The absurd situation of Red Dead Online: Since Red Dead Online is free and they already have the whole player base of “Red Dead Redemption 2” on board, Rockstar does not need to advertise the mode.
They already have millions of players. There is no reason to further hype it beforehand.
This leads to the mills running strangely empty before the launch, and we have a situation in “Red Dead Online” for the first time in years where we have to go in completely blind and let the game surprise us.
Well, we now know how Red Dead Redemption 2 works – we are still completely in the dark about the intricacies of the online mode.
It is clear that the time is ripe for the launch. Many have finished with “Red Dead Redemption 2” and Red Dead Online should provide them with the actual endgame.
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