‘Red Dead Online’ multiplayer for ‘Red Dead Redemption 2’ will launch in November

Owners of “Red Dead
Redemption 2” will need to wait to round up their posse for
“Red Dead Online.”
Rockstar
Games/Take-Two Interactive

• “Red Dead Redemption 2” will launch on PlayStation 4 and
  Xbox One on October 26 — but players will have to wait November
  to play “Red Dead Online,” the online multiplayer component
• “Red Dead Online” will enter public beta in November, and
  developer Rockstar expects it to have some growing pains early
  on.
• Players will be able to explore the world of “Red Dead
  Online” alone or with friends. It’s expected to offer a mix of
  storytelling, competitive, and cooperative gameplay.
• Rockstar plans to support “Red Dead Online” with constant
  updates and adjustments. Healthy ongoing support for “Grand
  Theft Auto Online” has helped Rockstar sell more than 100
  million copies of “Grand Theft Auto V” since 2013.

Many, many gamers are eagerly awaiting the release of Rockstar
Games’ “Red Dead Redemption 2” on October 26 — almost certainly
the most anticipated game of the year, with the possible
exception of Nintendo’s “Super Smash Bros.
Ultimate.”  

But there’s a little bad news: the game will be without online
multiplayer for at least a few days, and possibly weeks, after
launch. Rockstar Games has announced that “Red Dead Online,”
the action-western game’s online multiplayer mode, won’t be
available until the launch of a a public beta-testing
program in November.

“Red Dead Online” will be available for free to anyone who buys
the PlayStation 4 or Xbox One versions of “Red Dead Redemption
2.” Players will be able to explore the open-world environment
alone or with friends, and the online mode will have its own
narrative storyline. According to Rockstar, “Red Dead Online”
will feature both competitive and cooperative gameplay, but the
company is warning fans to expect some growing pains.

“As with most online experiences of this size and scale, there
will inevitably be some turbulence at launch,” a statement from
Rockstar reads. “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.”

Games sales analyst Mat Piscatella told Business
Insider that Since “GTA 5” went on sale in September 2013,
it has appeared in the top 20 best-selling games list 57 out of
58 times, through early August 2018. The only time it failed to
break the top 20 was in October 2014, when the game landed at
#21.

The original “Red Dead Redemption,” released in 2010, was a
popular online game in its own right — and Rockstar now has
many more years of experience crafting exciting online play. If
the new single-player campaign is anywhere near as impressive
as the previous title, players of “Red Dead Redemption 2” will
have plenty to hold them over until “Red Dead Online” is ready
to launch. Still, this news will likely come as a bummer to
many.