Red Dead Online didn’t receive its usual weekly update a couple of days ago, and it’s pretty clear why. Rockstar Games announced earlier today that Red Dead Online and Grand Theft Auto Online were temporarily taken offline to honor the legacy of George Floyd.
A number of game companies have released statements declaring support for the protestors campaigning for equality throughout the USA. Rockstar Games replaced their social media profile and cover pictures with monochrome black images earlier this week, which let players know why the Red Dead Online event was missed.
Black Lives Matter. To honor the legacy of George Floyd, today, 6/4/20, from 2:00-4:00 p.m. ET, we will be shutting down access to our online games, Grand Theft Auto Online and Red Dead Online.
— Rockstar Games (@RockstarGames) June 4, 2020
Earlier today Rockstar announced via Twitter that both the Red Dead Online and GTA Online services will be temporarily unavailable. The Tweet began with “Black lives matter” and stated that the decision to take the multiplayer games offline was made in remembrance of George Floyd, a black man killed by police in Minneapolis on the 25th of May.
The servers weren’t available between 2:00-4:00 p.m. ET. After the games were once again restored, the game company asked players to support various groups fighting for equal rights and an end to discrimination via the site Charity Navigator.
Neither Take-Two Interactive nor Rockstar Games have revealed whether they have donated to any charities or not, however 2K Games, another Take-Two subsidiary has pledged an additional $1 Million to the 2K Foundations program, which will now also seek to combat discrimination. Whether this is the group’s only contribution remains to be seen.
With Red Dead Online available once more, players should remember that video games offer an escape for players of all backgrounds and ethnicities. Unfortunately, racism is often rife in online interactions, especially in competitive game modes, so we should all strive to make the frontier as welcoming a place for black players as it is for others.
Our team stands by Rockstar’s sentiments. Black lives matter.
