The Cowboy Epic Red Dead Redemption 2 is a huge hit for publisher Take-Two and developer Rockstar. However, the online offshoot, Red Dead Online, was supposed to be further developed. Since 2021, there have been no updates: Fans have been trying to force a statement about the future of the MMO with the hashtag #SaveRedDeadOnline since January 2022. The statement did come and made brief hope, but the bubble quickly burst.
This is the situation:
- Red Dead Redemption 2 has sold incredibly well. It was a huge hit on PS4 and Xbox One in 2018 and came out on PC in 2019. Take-Two is said to have sold over 44 million units of the Cowboy Epic by now.
- Red Dead Redemption 2 is not being developed with DLCs but is finished after the campaign. However, the online mode, Red Dead Online, was supposed to receive updates and expansions for years. Just like GTA 5 was not developed further, but GTA Online was.
- But Red Dead Online was never in a good position: There were few updates and the game was plagued by many issues. Since July 2021, there has not been a major update – the last DLC was “Blood Money”: It provided new gear and heists.
The last DLC of Red Dead Online is now almost a year old:
This was the fans’ idea: Although Red Dead Online has been poorly supplied with updates, it is still a beautiful game, as it is based on Red Dead Redemption 2, which has incredibly high production values. Red Dead Redemption 2 has an impressive score of about 97% on Metacritic (PS4, Xbox One). It is considered a milestone in gaming for its graphics and atmosphere.
There are some thousands of people who love spending their time in the prairie, riding around and experiencing adventures. Especially during the Corona crisis, many used Red Dead Online as a destination to escape from the gray reality. Because when you put on a mask in Red Dead Online, something exciting happens afterward, like a bank robbery, whereas in reality, not much exciting happens when you put on a mask.
The fans have been putting pressure on Rockstar since January 2022 with a campaign #SaveRedDeadOnline via Twitter and Reddit for more content.
CEO says: Take-Two continues to support Red Dead Online
This is what the CEO says: In an interview with IGN, the head of Take-Two, Strauss Zelnick, was asked about the campaign. He said:
“Rockstar Games is talking about the updates that are coming, and we are working on a damn lot of stuff at Rockstar Games. I’ve heard the frustration, and I’m honored that they want more content. Everything else will be said by Rockstar in due time.”
When asked whether Take-Two is still planning to support Red Dead Online, it was said: That is still the plan.
How could one interpret that? One could interpret it as “updates are in the works and something is coming”. That was enough reason for hope that new updates for Red Dead Redemption 2 would actually be released.
CEO only meant that the servers would remain online
This was the cold shower: After the interview was published, however, a few hours later, the clarification came: The commitment to continue support for Red Dead Online was “solely related to the online servers,” it was now said by Take-Two. Updates would be solely Rockstar’s responsibility.
This is the reaction: On Twitter, the fans of Red Dead Online initially showed hope and then disappointment.
It seems to be assumed that Red Dead Online will be put into a “maintenance mode”: This means that the servers will remain online, but no relevant new content will be released.
It almost looks like Rockstar is turning completely to GTA 6:
GTA 6 officially confirmed – Rockstar shares good news for all fans
It almost looks like Rockstar is turning completely to GTA 6:
GTA 6 officially confirmed – Rockstar shares good news for all fans
