Fans of the rootin’ tootin’ cowboy simulator Red Dead Online are taking to the servers this upcoming week on Wednesday, July 13th, to give one last plea for Rockstar to update the game for the first time in over a year. The event? A funeral, naturally. Originally conceived by the popular @RedDeadRDC Twitter account in a poll posted July 5th, the account proposed an in-game funeral to honor one year since the game was “abandoned.” Of course, the fans rarely have any idea what’s happening behind the scenes of a large studio like Rockstar, so the year-long silence has spoken volumes to the thousand (singular) existing Red Dead Online players still out there. But, given the options “yes” and “also yes,” the fans have responded with a deafening 7000 votes in favor of the funeral. 

Who’s up for it then? A funeral to celebrate one year of Red Dead Online being abandoned?

Dress up in your best funeral attire, get your friends to join, tag us in pics & use the hashtags below!

Save the date: Wednesday July 13th. Are you in?#RedDeadFuneral #SaveRedDeadOnline

— Red Officially Dead (@RedDeadRDC) July 5, 2022

Now (it seems almost in answer), Rockstar has released a statement regarding updates to Grand Theft Auto Online and Red Dead Online, thanking the players “for their continued support and dedication.” They begin by stating that resources have been redirected “towards the next entry in the Grand Theft Auto series” and, as a result, the company has changed the way they are going to support Red Dead Online moving forward. 

First, Rockstar states that they will continue to use monthly events to showcase the ongoing addition of special features like “Specialist Roles, story-based cooperative missions, competitive Showdown Modes, and much more.” Alongside these seasonal offerings will come some vague “experience improvements” (most likely quality-of-life improvements that will optimize the game). However, the largest piece of information drops when they mention the discontinuation of “major themed content updates,” stating that the updates Red Dead Online will receive from now on are going to be smaller additions to the Telegram Missions and existing modes. This way, expansions can be based on existing material rather than spending resources generating something completely new. 

In addition to news about Red Dead Online, the primary feature of the statement regarded GTA Online, having just been released for newer generation consoles a couple months ago. In addition to “experience improvements” and general upgrades, a new update will feature expanded Criminal Careers offering “Executive, Biker, Gunrunner, and Nightclub Owner” as well as Contract Missions that follow a “budding criminal conspiracy.” Further, the release speaks on a nerf to the infamous Oppressor Mk II, convenient access to armor and snacks, an increase to GTA$ payouts across the board, and some other quality-of-life improvements that will make cooperation much easier. As is law, the GTA Online section concludes by thanking players for their ongoing support, promising a variety of seasonal spectacles to come.