With just over a month to go before launch, it seems the world still knows very little about Rockstar Games’ upcoming western epic Red Dead Redemption 2. Something that’s been evident from the beginning though, is that the game will eventually feature some kind of online multiplayer component. Still, there wasn’t much to go off other than some vague references and our knowledge of how multiplayer worked in the original Red Dead Redemption.
Now, we’re all a little more clued in, as Rockstar have taken to the public to announce that Red Dead Redemption 2’s online component will be called Red Dead Online, and will launch this November in the form of a public beta (see: soft launch). Access to the beta will be available to anyone who owns a copy of the game. Rockstar have so far said the following in regards to the launch:
Red Dead Online is an evolution of the classic multiplayer experience in the original Red Dead Redemption, blending narrative with competitive and cooperative gameplay in fun new ways. Using the gameplay of the upcoming Red Dead Redemption 2 as a foundation, Red Dead Online will be ready to be explored alone or with friends, and will also feature constant updates and adjustments to grow and evolve this experience for all players.
Red Dead Online is planned for launch in November 2018, initially as a public beta, with more news to come soon. As with most online experiences of this size and scale, there will inevitably be some turbulence at launch. We look forward to working with our amazing and dedicated community to share ideas, help us fix teething problems and work with us to develop Red Dead Online into something really fun and innovative.
Of course, most of us will be picking up Red Dead Redemption 2 specifically for the kind of enormous, open-world single player cowboy shenanigans that we loved the first time around. So it’s nice to know that Rockstar are just as excited about that as we are and are keen to let everyone sink their teeth into the core game for a little while before they start trying to coral us into the savage Wild West that is online gaming.
Stick with us here at WellPlayed for more on Red Dead Redemption 2 as it comes, and of course I couldn’t possibly close out a post about this game without sharing some gorgeous new images courtesy of Rockstar:
Kieron's been gaming ever since he could first speak the words "Blast Processing" and hasn't lost his love for platformers and JRPGs since. A connoisseur of avant-garde indie experiences and underground cult classics, Kieron is a devout worshipper at the churches of Double Fine and Annapurna Interactive, to drop just a couple of names.
