Red Dead Redemption 2's popularity shows no sign of slowing down, which makes Rockstar's actions regarding Red Dead Online and the lack of a next-gen port for RDR2 all the more baffling. Red Dead's acclaim has arguably started to sur Grand Theft Auto, which doesn't have a habit of aging as well as RDR2 has managed to. Despite this, the Red Dead franchise seems to be widely neglected in comparison.
According to statistics shared by @videotech_ - who covers Rockstar extensively on Twitter - RDR2 hit its highest-ever player count on Steam on November 28, 2022, at 66,492 simultaneous players. For a game that's four years old that hasn't received a major update in years, that is impressive. Not only that, but during the most recent Black Friday sale, it jumped to the #3 top-selling game worldwide on Steam. RDR2 and Red Dead Online's recent post-death successes are a surprise due to the lack of attention the game has received from Rockstar. Players are still flocking to the game, and it's more apparent now than ever just how beloved it is.
Red Dead Redemption 2's Steam Success Should Be A Hint For Rockstar
The neglect and eventual end of for Red Dead Online still remains a sore spot for fans of the series, and for fair reason. Players really wanted to like Red Dead Online, because it carried over a lot of the things that made RDR2 great, with the obvious exception of Arthur Morgan and his story. It even expanded the roles of several NPCs to turn them into quest-givers. Despite all of this potential, Rockstar never truly capitalized on its premise, and the game suffered from disappointing updates until its eventual demise. The Save Red Dead Online campaign started by fans is the best indicator of how it didn't live up to its potential, but could have done, had it been given the same level of as its Grand Theft Auto sibling, GTA Online.
With Grand Theft Auto 5 and GTA Trilogy both receiving recent remastered ports, it seems peculiar that no games from the Red Dead series have gotten similar treatment. If anything, the recent Steam sales for Red Dead Redemption 2 should be excellent proof that a next-gen release of the game could be a major success for Rockstar. Instead, Red Dead Redemption is once again pushed to the side while Grand Theft Auto continues to receive the lion's share of attention. Unfortunately, there seems to be no sign of the Red Dead Redemption games getting a next-gen upgrade anytime soon, with Rockstar reportedly putting its full focus on GTA 6, which is rumored to release in 2024.
It would be hard to deny that Grand Theft Auto is Rockstar's top priority. This makes sense, given it is the studio/publisher's longest-running series, but the Red Dead Redemption games have proven to be a major hit, and they deserve better treatment than they have been given. Beyond vague comments from parent company Take-Two Interactive that Red Dead Redemption 3 is likely to happen eventually, Rockstar has provided no information on what may be next for the series. Not capitalizing on this may be Rockstar's biggest missed opportunity to date. It seems that fans will be waiting a while for new Red Dead content, as at least for the time being, Rockstar is reportedly only working on GTA 6.
Red Dead Redemption 2's resurgence on Steam should clue Rockstar in to the series' strength. RDR2 in particular has proved itself once again to be a high-quality game with a lot of devoted fans, and it would be a perfect time for the series to advance. If Red Dead Redemption 2's player spike doesn't convince Rockstar to focus on the series and deliver a next-gen port, then it's unclear what will.
Source: @videotech_/Twitter