Red Dead Redemption 2 fans complain official new expansion is 'too late'

Red Dead Redemption II fans aren’t feeling too keen about the game’s future, even though Rockstar Games has just released a very recent content update.

In case you didn’t hear, I have some incredible news for you: Red Dead Online isn’t quite as Red Dead as we thought.

Rockstar Games announced earlier this month that Red Dead Redemption II’s online mode is finally getting a new update, titled Strange Tales of the West Vol 1.

That’s great news, right? Rockstar Games and Take-Two haven’t forgotten about the game! Surely this means that new, single-player DLC for the game is on its way.

Ehh, probably not– at least, that’s what the folks over in a thread on the r/RedDeadOnline subreddit think.

“Didn’t work with the last few “updates”. The game is a live, R* just wants moneh”, commented user StormSeeker35.

“They don’t care about the players. They’ll only take us seriously if no one buys their games and microtransactions anymore.”

“Nah bro, just give it a rest, its just leftover content from 2021 they're pumping in to hype people for next/current or wtfever its called release”, replied user sorinxz.

Honestly, I’m in two minds about the whole thing.

On one hand, I do think, at the very least, that this new Red Dead Online content is leading up to Rockstar Games releasing a next-gen update for Red Dead Redemption II.

I think a new graphical upgrade for the game will incentivise a lot of people to jump back in to replay it, and it’ll also bolster their GTA+ subscription service.

But do I think we’ll be getting any single-player expansions off the back of this? No.

Let’s be real, Take-Two goes where the money is. A next-gen update would lead to increased sales, which would funnel people into playing Red Dead Online and spending some more money on microtransactions. Single-player DLC wouldn’t lead to a dramatic uptick in that respect.

Unfortunately, that’s the sad reality of Take-Two’s business model. If you can’t monetise something beyond a one-time purchase, they’re probably not interested in pursuing it.