An absolute juggernaut of a publisher/developer hybrid, Rockstar Games is responsible for creating a handful of the greatest video game franchises ever made. Of course,Rockstar’s most beloved and well-known franchise isGrand Theft Auto, and the company has spent decades building the brand up, forging it into the goliath of entertainment it is today. But coming in a very close second is Rockstar’sRed Dead Redemptionseries, which has become a monumental hit in its own right.
Debuting back in 2010, the firstRed Dead Redemptioncame at a pivotal point in Rockstar’s life, coming just a few years afterGTA 4. As such,Red Deadbecame a showcase of just how far Rockstar’s open-world formula could go, going on to inform a great deal ofGTA 5’s own design. And one of the biggest points of influence forGTA 5wasRed Dead Redemption’s online mode, withGTA Onlinebecoming an integral part of Rockstar’s business model but ultimately being something thatRed Dead Redemption2couldn’t quite nail down. If andwhenRed Dead Redemption 3happens, all eyes are going to be on its online mode, and Rockstar needs to knock it out of the park right away.
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On its initial launch,Red Dead Redemption 2had the world at its feet. Before launch, the hype surroundingRed Dead 2was insurmountable, and that only continued to grow more intense when reviews started to pour in.Red Dead Redemption 2received unanimous acclaimacross the board, with its story, characters, gunplay, side activities, and setting all being praised to high heaven. When fans finally got their hands on the game, it lived up to expectations and even exceeded them in many ways. And this only made the imminent release ofRed Dead Onlineall the more exciting.
As mentioned up top, the firstRed Dead Redemptioncame in betweenGrand Theft Auto 4and5, and as such features a mix of both games' online components. WhileGTA 4offered the first Rockstar online sandbox,Red Dead Redemptionrefined it in many ways. Though the map could feel a tad empty with its lack of activities and long loading screens, nothing beat that feeling of hunting down a rival gang of players and chasing them across the entire map. For 2010,Red Dead Redemption’s online mode offered an experience like no other, and it’s only natural that Rockstar used this as the basis of its wildly successfulGTA Online.
Over the course of the last decade,GTA Onlinehas become one of the highest-grossest pieces of media ever created across all entertainment industries. Taking the groundwork laid byGTA 4andRed Dead,GTA Onlineoffers a gigantic sandbox for players to explore and interact with each other in, along with countless side activities and missions. And withthe extreme success ofGTA Online, it only makes sense that Rockstar would want to replicate it withRed Dead Redemption 2’s online mode.
Released a month afterRed Dead Redemption 2,Red Dead Onlinewasn’t quite the immersive experience fans were hoping it would be. On launch,Red Dead Onlinesuffered from a severe lack of content, and though Rockstar would eventually update it with more missions and open-world activities, it was a too little too late, and the vast majority of players had dropped off.Rockstar ended major support forRed Dead Onlineback in July 2022, butGTA Onlineis still going strong. Out of the gate,Red Dead Redemption 3’s online mode needs to be excellent, and Rockstar needs to prove that to fans before release. Only then will players feel confident thatRed Dead Redemption 3’s online mode won’t repeat the same mistakes as its predecessor.
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