While by all means a success in a vacuum, it seems Red Dead Online isn't quite meeting Rockstar's expectations - expectations no doubt skewed by the unnaturally successful GTA Online - leading to a special deal on the multiplayer game's standalone version, as well as a massive care package designed to woo players back.
Red Dead Online initially launched soon after Red Dead Redemption 2, and was available to the owners of the main game. The multiplayer portion recently launched as a standalone product at a lower price in order to become more accessible to a wider audience. Since the split, fans could purchase the this standalone version of Red Dead Online for just $4.99.
Rockstar is calling this the "introductory price", and the game is still available for $4.99 - but the introductory period is expiring on the 15th of February, which is a little over a week from now. This means the price of the standalone version of Red Dead Online will increase, so if you have been on the fence about buying it, now is the time to take the leap. It is not clear what the increased price will be.
Players have seemingly been flaking off Red Dead Online recently, so Rockstar is trying to tempt players back with a free care package - everyone who owns any version of Red Dead Online and logs in at any time between December 1, 2020 and February 14, 2021 will receive the following gift bundle:
- Reward for a free Horse under Rank 40
- Reward for a free Stable Slot
- Reward for 5,000 Club XP
- Rewards for 2 free Ability Cards
- High Velocity Ammo for all gun types
- Reward for a free Coat
- Reward for a free Hat Rank 15 and under
- Reward for a free Shirt Rank 15 and under
- Reward for a free Fast Travel Voucher
- Horse Reviver
- Assortment of select Tonics and other consumables
Special discounts are also being offered to players on the same basis:
- 50% off any Weapon
- 40% off any Non-Role Pamphlet from the Fence
- 30% off anything from Wilderness Outfitters
Not too long ago Red Dead Online suffered what players have dubbed a "content drought", prior to the release of the Naturalist role. This period of little new content likely contributed to the dropping player numbers, but the standalone release and gift package is bound to boost numbers a bit. Nonetheless, we'd welcome some meatier DLC for the game in the future!
