Rockstar may be an esteemed and beloved developer, but it also has a complicated relationship with its fans. While most contempt for the company is due to its intentionally controversial content, more recently the frustration has been increasing from its own player base. The unrest in the Red Dead Online fanbase continues to grow stronger as players not only want single-player content, but have also been very disappointed in the lackluster online from Rockstar. This has be an issue for Red Dead Online since it launched. On the heels of RDR2's stellar performance and over five years of growth in GTA Online there was much anticipation for Red Dead Online, but instead players were given a bleak, empty western frontier that has only improved slightly in the two years since launch.
With the release of a Red Dead Online and the fact Rockstar isn't doing any single player content, there is hope that its online frontier can finally reach its full potential. The problem, though, is that Rockstar does not actually know its Red Dead Online audience. With each new addition of silly belt buckles, goofy outfits, and discounts most players don't need, it becomes glaringly evident that Rockstar doesn't actually know what its fans want.
The frustration in the fanbase isn't hard to find. For some time now players have asked for features like Red Dead Online, greater variety in missions, more specialist role missions, and expanded regions. Instead, they're given gimmicks like loads of camp flags, photo filters, and as many absurd emotes as Rockstar can make. Just last week, YouTube creator Dirty Tyler - who specializes in Red Dead Online content - posted a video titled, "Dear Rockstar... We need to talk..." discussing Rockstar's lack of awareness to its audience. At the time of this writing, that video has over 125K views, perhaps illustrating just how much the community agrees with this sentiment.
Why Rockstar Doesn't Understand Its Red Dead Online Fans
s have asked for simple features like a house for their camp dog (so it isn't always stuck out in the rain), made countless memes of what it feels like to be a veteran player waiting for new content, and voiced frustration at Red Dead Online making it harder to earn gold. The latest Outlaw has become a prime example. Despite not introducing any new roles or role expansions, it still has a number of rank rewards for increased role XP, a pretty useless thing if a player has maxed out every role already.
The unrest doesn't end with the latest Outlaw , though. Since its launch, Red Dead Online players have been asking for better content such as an Undead Nightmare 2 expansion. Yet another prime example of the frustration is that, despite Rockstar stating it's done with single-player content, there's been a recent surge in petition signatures for RDR2 DLC . Fans have also been asking for Heists and bank robberies similar to GTA Online's Heists since Red Dead Online was first announce, but seemingly to no avail.
Red Dead Online will likely never be as big as GTA Online because its audience is a more niche group. The fact that RDR2 won Steam's Game of the Year in 2020, though, shows just how impactful that niche is. Rockstar needs to seriously work on understanding this audience. After all, Red Dead Online players didn't dress up like clowns in protest so they could get more clown costumes.
