Red Dead Online will swallow your life whole. We're sorry to say it, but the sprawling story-mode that you’ve already dedicated untold hours to is but a blood-soaked amuse-bouche for what’s to come.
From the 27 November at 1.30pm UK time, select players will be invited to participate in the beta. Gamers who bought the Ultimate edition of the title will be the first to be contacted. It will then be released to larger groups of players on the 28th and 29th, before being opened up to everyone on 30 November.
Players will create their own character to explore the game's five states, and will be joined by Arthur Morgan and other characters from the main plot.
Once online, players will be able to work together as they hunt and kill their way across the plains.
What will the gameplay be like?
Rockstar have previously spoken about Red Dead Online, albeit in vague terms. “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”, the developers wrote in a statement before the game's release.
Given the popularity of the title, however, Rockstar is preparing itself for some teething problems. “As with most online experiences of this size and scale, there will inevitably be some turbulence at launch.”
Rockstar’s Johh Needleman went into more detail in an interview with IGN, saying that many of the online open world’s features and modes will be inspired by its Grand Theft Auto predecessor.
“Like the single-player game’s story of Arthur Morgan, we want people to settle into their online characters and feel like every activity makes sense for the character, the setting and the time. This should feel intimate and personal while still feeling fun and action-packed from moment to moment.
“We’ve tried to take the best elements and best content packs from Grand Theft Auto Online and use them for templates for what we are making here. We feel Grand Theft Auto Online really only found its feet creatively with Heists.”
“That pack, along with After Hours, The Doomsday Heist, Gun Running and a few others represent the best of Grand Theft Auto Online, and provided the template for what we wanted to use here, (not in terms of content, obviously, but how they combined narrative, gameplay, modes and other content into a cohesive thematic whole) alongside all of the elements we liked from the old Red Dead Redemption multiplayer.”
Nick Pope is the Site Director of Esquire, overseeing digital strategy for the brand.
