#SaveRedDeadOnline, the deep-seated anger of the Red Dead Online players and the hope of a sequel

The furore over the state of Red Dead Online continued over the weekend with the hashtag #SaveRedDeadOnline. And seeing how things are at the moment, it does not seem likely to die down easily. Nor should it, considering that the fanbase's legitimate concerns about the game they love have fallen on deaf ears for so long.

It is not the first time that these players are complaining. For a game that has been out for over two years, Red Dead Redemption 2's online counterpart has barely seen any new content for a substantial length of time now.

The Blood Money update released last July was the most-recent proper content addition to Red Dead Online, and the response to that was lukewarm at best. Since then, Rockstar has managed to get by with mostly improved in-game rewards and events rather than a significant update.

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"We are only just getting started!": Rockstar promised when Red Dead Online began

In an interview with OXM, Rob Nelson, the then co-studio head of Rockstar North, talked about the development and publishing of Red Dead Online and what they envisioned as the future of the multiplayer. He said:

"We always want to know what people are saying and how they are playing the game. Our primary goal is to make sure we are looking at the feedback from the community – what they're enjoying and not enjoying, and trying to see how they push our ideas in new directions."

These words seem quite hollow now, considering that the countless protests, requests, begging and everything in between have not been answered or even looked at. #SaveRedDeadOnline has been trending for more than a week now and the response from Rockstar has so far been nil.

Yet this is not the first massive social media protest by the community regarding the lack of content in the game. A couple of years back, a huge number of players had decided to dress up like clowns as a mark of protest. The point of it was that the neglect shown to them by the developers makes them feel like clowns.

It became a gala affair with people engaging in it and having fun doing different activities around the server. Social media was filled with clippings from those gameplays. However, the developers still did not provide any major updates or communication post that.

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The new year brings the same old updates

It all reached a tipping point with January's first-week update. The community was hopeful that not having seen a proper winter update, they were in for a treat in the new year. They speculated about what new content they may get - a new Ranching role, a DLC, more weapons or heists.

Instead, what they got was a a lukewarm announcement which stated that bonuses would be provided on "A Land Opportunities Missions, Call to Arms, Gang Hideouts, and the featured series." The update adds boosts to Red Dead Online modes that, according to SomeOrdinaryGamers, are devoid of players anyway.

The YouTuber went on to describe how Red Dead Online, a game about outlaws and illegal activities, has rarely seen any criminal activity to justify its title. The multiplayer simply forces the player to engage in an ever-increasing number of grinds for missions that do not even offer high payouts.

Further rubbing salt into the wounds, the other online IP from Rockstar, GTA Online, has received one significant content update after the other. The latest includes a story-driven update featuring Dr. Dre. While Red Dead Online has been surviving on scraps and rehashes ever since the meager Blood Money update, GTA Online's community has had no reason to complain.

Rockstar's indifference went even further when they dropped a tweet yesterday marking the weekly update for Red Dead Online. Predictably, the tweet is full of responses about the fact that the developers have paid absolutely no heed to the social media uproar.

The community has even provided Rockstar with suggestions about they can do with the game should they find themselves overwhelmed with a lack of ideas for a game set in the 1800s. Yangy on GTABASE.com posted earlier last year about "The Red Dead Online Ultimate Concept Bundle" - a plan that spanned over five years and detailed 11 updates.

Dangerous_Lab_6078 stated in a Reddit post:

"RDO will never be as lucrative as GTAo, one talks to a certain niche of the population, the other to pretty much everybody. They should just change the economic model on which RDO is based. It works on GTA, it clearly doesn't on RDO. Idk for the others, but I would pay for a $30 season pass if it presents good content."

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The elusive Red Dead Redemption 3

In a conversation with Comicbook back in November last year, Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick had said:

"If it's really, really great, it will keep going... I think Red Dead is one of them."

This sums up everything known about the game as of now. According to a number of sources, Rockstar's focus at the moment is on Grand Theft Auto 6, which is purported to be their only game coming out during the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S generation. So the next Red Dead Redemption seems like a distant dream at the moment.

However, even a placating announcement about Red Dead Redemption 3 at the moment may not be enough to calm the community down. For a long time, they have seen their favorite frontier multiplayer experience languish in neglect and their protests and cries ignored. It is imperative for the developers to take the necessary steps to — for starters — begin a conversation with them.