Here's Why Red Dead Redemption 2's Online Mode Releases After The Main Game
You'll have to wait to play online.
Red Dead Online, the new "online connected experience" for Red Dead Redemption 2 will not be available at launch. Players will have to wait until sometime in November to try it out, when it debuts in the form of a beta open to all owners of the base game on PS4 and Xbox One.
But why? Design director Imran Sarwar said in a new interview that Rockstar sees the single-player and the multiplayer elements as "separate products." Each will "grow and evolve independently of each other," he told IGN.
Sarwar added that Rockstar learned from previous releases that launching big online games is a tricky task. "There are bound to be a few issues and we want to ensure that we have time to gradually roll out the game and make the experience as smooth as we possibly can for everyone," he explained. "We believe this way of rolling out will give people the best overall experiences with both single player and multiplayer."
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The launch of Red Dead Online comes in the form of a public beta, so players can expect the experience to be a work in progress. Rockstar is expecting some "turbulence" at launch, adding that the studio looks forward to working with the community to make Red Dead Online everything it can be.
Rockstar's last big release, Grand Theft Auto V, also saw its single-player and multiplayer modes released separately. GTA Online launched about a month after GTA V came out back in 2013. It had numerous serious and significant issues, for which Rockstar apologised. GTA Online went on to become a massive hit for Rockstar, bringing in mountains of money from its microtransactions. Rockstar will be looking to replicate that success with Red Dead Online, which will also get numerous and frequent updates.
In the wake of the news about Red Dead Online launching after Red Dead Redemption 2, Take-Two's stock dropped today, though only slightly.
Red Dead Redemption 2 launches on October 26 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Keep checking back with GameSpot for more on the ambitious open-world western.
Red Dead Redemption 2 News And Details
- Red Dead Redemption 2: We Played It On PS4, Here's Everything We Saw
- Watch: We Played Red Dead Redemption 2
- Red Dead Redemption 2: All The New Features
- Red Dead Redemption 2's Most Surprising Features And Details
- Red Dead Redemption 2: Everything We Just Learned
- Like GTA 5, Red Dead Redemption 2 Is Playable In First-Person
- Here Are Red Dead Redemption 2's HUD Options
- Red Dead Redemption 2's Arthur Can Swim, Unlike John Marston
- Here's 27 New Red Dead Redemption 2 Screens
- Red Dead Redemption 2 Will Feature Woody Jackson's Music Again
- Red Dead Redemption 2 Has A Selfie Camera
- Red Dead Redemption 2 Lets You Drift On A Horse
- Red Dead Redemption 2's New Animal-Skinning Animation Is Truly A Sight To Behold
- Red Dead Redemption 2's Online Mode Gets A Beta A Month After Release Day
- Why Red Dead Redemption 2's Online Mode Is Launching After The Main Game
- Rockstar Will Stagger GTA 5 Online And Red Dead Online Update Releases
- Red Dead Online Learns Its Lessons From GTA Online
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