Red Dead Online is now two years into its lifecycle, having been released on November 27, 2018. Though the online multiplayer has amassed a lot of love from players, it seems to exist within the shadow of its older brother, seven-year-old Rockstar Games’ GTA Online. Can Red Dead Online ever hope to become as popular (and as lucrative) as GTA Online, or is the Red Dead franchise better suited to a narrative-driven single player experience than a big online playground?
Though Red Dead Online has a solid fanbase, it takes nothing more than a quick Google search to reveal dissent in the ranks. Simply looking up “Red Dead Online” in the search engine prompts related queries including “What is the point of Red Dead Online?”; “Is Red Dead Redemption 2 Online dead?” and “Why did Red Dead online fail?” All in all, it’s not a great look.
You don’t have to travel far to see just how many Red Dead Online players are crying out for more content. Social media is awash with fans asking for more gameplay within the online world, but it’s something that has seemingly – so far – gone ignored by Rockstar Games.
Over on Twitter, the biggest complaint about Red Dead Online relates to the game’s lack of content. Unless you’re setting yourself some tasks or creating your own stories, there’s limited gameplay within what’s available to you. Sure, RDO gets semi-frequent events such as the The Red Dead Online Halloween Pass, but other than your basic and menial tasks with a few new items, you’re not getting anything too meaty within these limited time events.
One Twitter user lamented how much attention GTA Online is getting from its developers in comparison to Red Dead Online.
“Focus on Red Dead Online ffs,” tweeted one gamer. “GTA has 7 years of content there is so much to do in GTA! Red Dead doesn’t even have any good pvp matches! We have 5 or 6 modes that’s it and all the content that u released is the same, give us something new and let us create our own death matches.”
Meanwhile, many gamers believe that Rockstar’s focus is now going to be on its online games model, and that the developer will be shying away from any hefty content drops (or add-ons for existing games) so as to maximise on profit with minimum lift.
“I’m so sick of Rockstar prioritizing online content rather than story expansions or new games. f*ck GTA Online and f*ck Red Dead Online,” tweeted one user.
Over on Reddit, we asked members of the RedDeadOnline sub what they wanted to see in RDO – and what they think the game needs to have to become as successful as GTA Online.
Like many RDO fans, Reddit user Suspicious_Shoulder2 just wants more playability.
“Playability [is what’s needed],” they said. “[Right now] what RDO is missing is two key components: Missions that have high payouts (ex heists or robberies) and engaging game modes through the Rockstar Editor.
“For GTAO those two inclusions were big things that brought in a high player base that played consistently due to the variety it offers. Right now RDO is lacking that, but it absolutely is in the future as both are in the pipeline”
However, the issue is seemingly more complex than players just needing more content and more to do.
Reddit user LeonisStar noted that it might not be Rockstar who has an issue with RDO and its lack of content, but instead, the gamers themselves. The Redditor very rightly commented that two years is still quite a short period, and that GTA Online wasn’t anywhere near the scale it is now at a comparative time in its lifecycle.
“People [need] to be patient,” said LeonisStar. “GTAO wasn’t anything like it is today in the first 2 years…”
Meanwhile, users like Reddit’s DolanUser seemingly have no major problems with the game, but instead take issue with those adamant on comparing GTA Online and Red Dead Online.
“It’s a different game without all the crazy bells and whistles,” they said. “It’s slow paced and will not and should not attract as many children as GTAO.”
GameByte also spoke with Jay Uchiha Cabral, an avid Red Dead Online fan and creator of RDO lookalike characters including John Wick.
“I believe anything is possible,” he said. “I believe RDO needs to implement housing for players online. They need to bring in bank heists as you see in the story. Add a new character that can help with a story line for heists and or other new upcoming roles. Maybe even throw in some classic characters from classic Western movies!
“I’d say add a tribe from the Wapiti Indian Reservation [from Red Dead Redemption 2] to the game, so that they can add in the area with a storyline. Or cannibals in the Roanoke area! There’s lots of things RDO can implement to make it more popular than GTAO. But I believe the creators are holding back on the RDO content until possibly the PS5.”
Whether you’re camping on the side of “RDO needs more content” or “RDO shouldn’t be compared to GTAO,” it seems as though Rockstar has its hands full with the fanbases of both online games.
With a huge new update (and map expansion) coming to GTA Online, and Red Dead Online being released as a standalone game on December 1, we might finally be seeing a change in the winds for the online Western.
What would you like to see from Red Dead Online in the future, and does it need to be more like GTA Online?
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Featured Image Credit: Rockstar Games