Red Dead Online is dead. Everyone knows. Even Rockstar knows. They've now even confirmed it.
As my wonderful colleague Daniel Ribeiro so charmingly said when I told him about me writing this article: "What do you mean is dead? It was dead, right from the start."
Well, yes, but I also kinda wanted to give you a kinder intro to this article. Though, I would be sugarcoating it, let's be real. He's right. Red Dead Online has been dead from the start because Rockstar couldn't have cared less about it.
It's a shame because this game had as much, if not more potential than GTA Online, but now Rockstar is losing both the Red Dead Online, as well as the GTA Online community. They've finally figured it out themselves too (last point of this article), so yeah... RDR Online is indeed dead.
Red Dead Online Is Dead
Red Dead Online Receives Zero Updates
The Red Dead Online community has been fighting for months to receive some gameplay updates. Say what you want about GTA Online, but at least they received some updates that made the game playable again for a time. Red Dead Online, though? Nothing.
IGN was kind enough to talk to Strauss Zelnick, the CEO of Take-Two, who then crushed all the remaining hopes and dreams that the Red Dead Online community had. His answer in regard to the community wanting more gameplay updates for Red Dead Online was basically just "We heard you, but we can't help you."
Thing is, Rockstar has to take care of this one... and they don't seem to care much about Red Dead Online when they're working on GTA 6, trying to keep GTA Online alive and working on multiple remasters that will release over the course of the next years. Who cares about little old Red Dead Online then, right?
Red Dead Online Is Boring
This goes hand in hand with the argument above. There is only so much you can do. You play Red Dead Online for a week straight, and it already feels like you've seen and done everything. The community is also not big enough to experience something new every day, maybe you're even surrounded by the same 5 people playing the game.
Why would you want to keep playing if it's the same thing, over and over again when it's not even that fun anymore?
Red Dead Online Community Is Toxic
The worst part about it is that some – not saying all because obviously, there are passionate fans who love the game – use this game to play out their disgusting racist fantasies. We've reported on this in the past and I would rather not repeat these things again, so if you're interested, just read that article from our talented colleague Amidu...
...bottom line is, some people take Red Dead roleplay and its story too far. It's disgusting and makes many people not want to play.
If Rockstar doesn't take care of Red Dead Online and the Read Dead community in general, then that game is doomed. We hope it won't be because we see the potential... but maybe they don't.
[Update, July 8, 2022]
Rockstar Literally Confirmed That It's Dead
Well... didn't think I'd update this article so soon, but here we are. Rockstar has now literally confirmed that they will stop with "major updates" on Red Dead Online. Why? Because the company wants to focus all efforts on GTA 6. Great news for GTA fans, horrible news for those loyal RDR Online fans that held on to hope until the very end.
This is what Rockstar had to say:
Over the past few years, we have been steadily moving more development resources towards the next entry in the Grand Theft Auto series - understanding more than ever the need to exceed players' expectations and for this next entry to be the best it can possibly be and as a result, we are in the process of making some changes to how we support Red Dead Online. These changes will mean there will be no further "major themed content updates like in previous years.
The game will still get events, but those will only highlight existing content and if we are getting new content, then it's only seasonal stuff like for Christmas.
[Update, July 13, 2022]
We heard you wanted more confirmation that Red Dead Online is dead, so here you have it. The players of RDO are so desperate, that they have literally organized funerals for the game. Ouch, that one really hurts.
You think we're exaggerating? All this drama is too much? Believe us, it's real and it is the textbook definition of Tragi-Comedy. Check it out for yourself:
Today is the day the community is paying it's respects to a game that many of us love, and wish had gotten more love from Rockstar. So login in today, and have a few beers at either Valentine or Blackwater Graveyard. #RedDeadFuneral #RedDeadOnline pic.twitter.com/izTf3IQ5NS
— Dirty-Tyler (@RealDirtyTyler) July 13, 2022
#RedDeadFuneral To Red Dead community. pic.twitter.com/nQWJ5mOVWM
— fauxSeb (@fauxSeb) July 13, 2022
Red Dead Online. 2019-2022.#RedDeadFuneral pic.twitter.com/jHEuQTFmdd
— Red Dead Online Hub (@RDOHub) July 13, 2022
It's actually a beautiful tribute to a game that had a lot of potential, but which Rockstar never really knew how to capitalize on. It's genuinely a bit sad to see this, we love Red Dead Redemption 2 and the online part could have been amazing. Ah well, at least we still have GTA Online... but for how long?