As with Grand Theft Auto Online before it, the Red Dead Online online experience came stapled to a major singleplayer release, but unlike GTA Online, it failed to rake in billions of dollars and finance Grand Theft Auto 6's development.
It's hardly surprising — despite similarities in gameplay and storytelling, the target audience of Red Dead Redemption is fundamentally different from that of Grand Theft Auto. They're already used to slower gameplay and exercising the patience it calls for. No twitchy need there for Rockstar's instant-gratification microtransactions. Combine this with the fact that there's simply not as much cool stuff to buy in 1898 Arkansas, and the idea of the game being as much of a moneymaker as its counterpart seems patently ridiculous on its surface. Support for the underperforming Red Dead Online was quietly stopped after a few years of attempts to make those microtransactions more appealing.
…Until now, that is. For reasons only the GTA gods themselves know, Red Dead Online is back with a Halloween-themed content update in July. Team up with your friends to take down zombies, ghosts, robot invaders and more, if you can find any friends who still care about this game.
This probably isn't the 'big news' John Marston actor Rob Wiethoff teased in a recent stream, but it does also seem to point to a renewed interest in Red Dead even as GTA 6 looms on the horizon like a revenue-devouring colossus. Only time will tell.
Previously:
• Red Dead Redemption II's latest trailer reminds me which gaming console I'm supposed to buy
• 'The Moon Made Me Sh!t My Pants' — an improvised Red Dead Redemption 2 Musical
• Red Dead Redemption 2's multiplayer world about to launch
