Do you want to know what’s next for the game industry? Join gaming executives to discuss emerging areas of the industry at GamesBeat Summit Next in October. Learn more†
Red Dead Online fans are in for a disappointment. In a blog post from Rockstar Games earlier today, the company confirmed that they are phasing out support for RDO. This comes as the studio ramps up development on the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto VI.
In the post, Rockstar noted the migration of development resources to the latest entry in the Grand Theft Auto series. The Red Dead Online section of the blog begins with an attempt to set expectations: “Over the past few years, we’ve steadily moved more development resources into the next entry in the Grand Theft Auto series — we understand more than ever the need to exceed player expectations and to make this next entry the best it can be – and as a result, we’re making some changes to the way we support Red Dead Online.
This announcement is far from shocking – the Grand Theft Auto series is Rockstar’s bread and butter. Grand Theft Auto 5, originally released in 2013, has since been sold 155 million copies as of the end of 2021† That’s a lot of copies, but the surprising statistic is that GTA:O makes about a billion dollars every year. With those numbers, it’s no surprise that Rockstar focuses more on GTA than any other property.
What does that mean for RDO? Less content in the future: “In addition to special seasonal events and experience improvements – plus other changes to improve and maintain a healthy Red Dead Online environment – we plan to build on existing modes and new Telegram missions this year rather than delivering major themed content updates as in previous years, and we will continue to highlight and share the creative efforts of our Red Dead community at every opportunity through Newswire and beyond.”
While RDO is not dead and will continue to have limited support, the future of the game is uncertain. Check Rockstars last blog for more details.
The GamesBeat credo when talking about the game industry, is ‘where passion and business meet’. What does this mean? We want to tell you how important news is to you — not just as a decision maker in a game studio, but also as a game fan. Whether you’re reading our articles, listening to our podcasts, or watching our videos, GamesBeat helps you learn and have fun with the industry. Learn more about membership.