Rockstar Games Continues Killing Red Dead Online
Red Dead Online debuted in the fall of 2018 and is still one of Rockstar Games’ most popular titles. Despite this, Rockstar Games has received negative feedback from the community. Fans criticize them for doing a less-than-desirable job keeping the game fresh with new content and frequent updates. Fans claim Rockstar Games continues killing Red Dead Online by releasing content no one cares about.
Rockstar released a lackluster update for Red Dead Online at the beginning of 2022. And fans expressed their dissatisfaction loud and clear. The #SaveRedDeadOnline campaign on social media blew up overnight.
Rockstar Games has been heavily criticized for putting less effort into Red Dead Online in favor of their money printing machine, GTA Online. GTA Online continues to receive more frequent and larger updates while the RDO community is left high and dry. Rockstar doesn’t seem to be in any hurry to release more content despite the demand for it. The game is currently in a state of stagnation. Many players have quit or are taking long breaks due to the lack of things to do.
It’s a shame because Red Dead Online has the potential to be as great as, if not better than GTA Online. Instead, it seems Rockstar Games continues killing Red Dead Online with no acknowledgment of what the playerbase wants.
A vocal part of the Red Dead community continues supporting a #SaveRedDeadOnline campaign on social media. The aim is to show their love of the game and their frustration with Rockstar. The campaign is in the headlines again because of some “fresh” Red Dead Online bounty hunting rewards published on Twitter.
Rockstar will reward licensed bounty hunters who have completed 5 Legendary Bounties. The reward? A set of… tan Tied Pants. Naturally, this sparked a firestorm of re-tweets and replies from fans who were bitter.
Who can blame them?
After months of pleading with Rockstar to put more effort into the title, fans received an announcement letting them know they can get… another pair of pants?
The majority of the retweets and replies slammed Rockstar Games for ignoring the community and killing the game. Red Dead Online fans feel they are owed more high-quality content. Users lambasted Rockstar for leaving Red Dead Online, while others ridiculed the prize for being pathetic and worthless.
The fact that Red Dead Online isn’t receiving new content is magnified by one fact. Its main competitor, Grand Theft Auto Online, continues to receive significant updates with additional missions, automobiles, and features.
Conclusion—Rockstar Games continues killing Red Dead Online
On one hand, it sucks for the fans of Red Dead Online (including myself). We want to see the game reach its potential. On the other hand, Rockstar Games doesn’t have a strong incentive to support a direct competitor. Even though they own both, they clearly want GTA Online to stay on top.
It seems like Rockstar Games has all but abandoned Red Dead Online in favor of GTA Online. Slowly, but surely, this lack of resources and support means Rockstar Games continues killing Red Dead Online.
