The last major update for Red Dead Online was released in July 2021. Since then, the game has received no major content updates. As 2022 starts, RDO fans have become fed up with the lack of content and communication from Rockstar and have collectively started the #SaveRedDeadOnline campaign to… well, save Red Dead Online.
Blood Money was the last major content update Red Dead Online received and that was all the way back on July 13, 2021. And calling that a major update is a bit generous, as Blood Money mainly added some new, but not entirely unique missions to the game and a new currency. It was a fine update, but when compared to recent GTA Online updates, which have added loads of content and featured big names like Dr. Dre, it’s clear one Rockstar game is more loved than the other.
This has, as you might expect, upset Red Dead Online players who feel like Rockstar is letting the game die in spite of all the potential it has to be something big and special.
All of this came to a boil on January 6, when Rockstar announced a boring month-long event in Red Dead Online that didn’t add any new content, but instead increased payouts on old missions and activities. This dull event seemed to be “too little for too long” and in response, a large number of players began tweeting their frustration and anger using the #SaveRedDeadOnline hashtag.
Now, days later, the hashtag continues to trend on Twitter and more and more players continue to share stories of how much they enjoyed playing the game and how they now feel abandoned by Rockstar.
While I understand that making games is hard and during the era of covid has only gotten harder, I also get the frustration of these players.
Of course, some have used the hashtag and the growing frustration with Rockstar to lash out at devs and others on social media, pushing some RDO fans to fight back and remind players to not be abusive assholes towards the people making the game or players who still enjoy it.
I haven’t touched RDO in the last few months because there just isn’t much bringing me back. Meanwhile, GTA Online continues (even during covid) to receive massive and fantastic updates, adding new features, missions, events, vehicles, music, and more every five to six months. And sadly, for fans of RDO, that just hasn’t been the case for the online western for years now.
For many, it’s not even just a demand for more content updates, but a call for more communication from the publisher and developer behind RDO, GTA V, and more. Of course, Rockstar Games hasn’t responded to the campaign yet.
