Red Dead Online still has so much wasted potential, say fans

There’s no series quite like Rockstar Games’ Red Dead Redemption with its standard-setting level of quality, immersion and storytelling.

The series began with Red Dead Revolver way back in 2004, a fun, but very linear experience, especially when compared to the games that followed. So when Red Dead Redemption arrived in 2010, it let us live our best Wild West fantasy life like never before. Well, that was until the arrival of Red Dead Redemption 2 in 2018.

Check out the Red Dead Online trailer below!

What’s more, the introduction of Red Dead Online in the 2010 game, let fans experience the Wild West with friends, even though those friends would likely betray you at every turn. In their defence, it was the Wild West after all.

Furthermore, when a new version of GTA Online launched following the release of GTA V, that too set a new standard in online games. A massive open-world set in the fictional city of Los Santos with so many activities and a regular stream of content updates, it’s no wonder fans cannot get enough of its online world.

Naturally, when we learned that Red Dead Redemption 2 would also be getting its own online mode, fans had hoped it would at least be to the standards of GTA Online. Fans' excitement was fever pitch for Red Dead Online. Sadly, that enthusiasm soon faded.

Sure, the quality of content for Red Dead Online was decent at launch, but seemingly once Rockstar Games realised it wasn't going to make anywhere near as much money as GTA Online, content support for the mode quickly dwindled, certainly not to the level that was seen in its GTA counterpart.

Fans have long campaigned to ‘Save Red Dead Online’ but those attempts have been largely futile resulting in Rockstar Games providing fans with recycled content. Though to be fair, a new Halloween update has recently launched, somewhat reminiscent of the popular expansion Undead Nightmare.

Redditors have recently been discussing video games that could have made big money if it wasn't for severe mishandling and a game that crept up more than once is the aforementioned Red Dead Online.

“Red Dead Online. So much potential… only to be left at the wayside for the (much older) GTA Online,” replied K1ngPCH. “If Rockstar did anything substantial to Red Dead Online it wouldn’t have flopped,” exclaimed Ramen_Hair.

“Red Dead Online is, in my opinion, one of the biggest letdowns in video game history,” agreed Bobo3076. “An open world online Wild West experience? Developed by Rockstar? Sign me the f**k up! They had the potential to make it one of the best online games of all time but instead, they left it to rot. For GTA Online no less. What an embarrassment.”

Sadly at this stage, it’s unlikely that Rockstar Games will ever support Red Dead Online like it has with GTA Online. The best we can hope for is that loyal fans remain active so that Rockstar Games won't kill it dead.