Rockstar Games’Red Dead Redemption 2andGrand Theft Auto 5have both been massive successes for the company. Both titles broke numerous records at launch while also being showered with positive reviews and accolades. The games also launched respective live service multiplayer components viaGrand Theft Auto OnlineandRed Dead Online. The online modes have also been smashing successes, particularly the former, with established player bases that are supported by frequent updates fromRockstar Games.
However, fans of both games have been hopeful that Rockstar Games will release singleplayer DLC for both titles despite none being announced or released in the years since the games' releases. While Rockstar Games has a history ofstrong DLC releases for titles likeGrand Theft Auto 4, the company has yet to acknowledge the hopes of its fans in that regard, and it seems now as though the company is simply not interested in released singleplayer DLC anymore. This is undoubtedly sad for fans of the company’s iconic single-player campaigns, and it will surely have a big impact on the company’s future titles. Still, there are some obvious reasons the decision was made.
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Rockstar Games' History With Single-Player DLC
Rockstar Games first released DLC forGrand Theft Auto 4with the packs The Lost and the Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony. Both DLC additions were campaigns filled with new environments, multiplayer content, vehicles, weapons, characters, and settings. Both expansions were also massive successes for the studio, which led to it experimenting with DLC content more in following titles such asMidnight Club: Los Angeles.Midnight Clubis a racing series that Rockstar Games seems to have abandoned, but it was beloved at the time of its release and received numerous smaller DLC that added new cars and a map expansion as well.
Rockstar Games then continued with DLC releases forRed Dead Redemption, with a combination of smaller packs like Hunting and Trading Outfits and War Horse alongside bigger DLC packs like Undead Nightmare. Undead Nightmare in particular was extremely popular, with many fans of the sequel calling for asimilar expansion forRed Dead Redemption 2. It added a new horror-themed campaign that saw the characters players were already familiar with trying to survive the undead apocalypse that was rising up in the wild west. Rockstar then continued exploring DLC, withL.A. Noirereceiving various DLC weapons and cases andMax Payne 3getting three packs as well. However,Max Payne 3also had four additional DLC packs planned that were never released, and Rockstar Games has yet to return to traditional DLC ever since.
While Rockstar Games has yet to release any public statement or information about its apparent lack of interest in singleplayer DLC, all signs seem to point towards the company moving to a live service model through the online components of its games. BothGrand Theft Auto OnlineandRed Dead Onlinefeature microtransactions that allow players to purchase currency to buy property, vehicles, gear, and customizations for their characters. These microtransactions allow players to skip playing through the same missions repeatedly to buy fun things like rocket launchers, flying motorcycles, or areally nice apartment inGrand Theft Auto Online.
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This revenue model is then assisted by the frequent updates that Rockstar Games releases for its online modes, as they introduce new items and ways for players to spend their money. Getting a massive yacht with all of the upgrades inGrand Theft Auto Onlinetakes dozens of hours of completing hests and missions to save up enough money, but players have the option to buy the currency upfront when the update releases, allowing them to jump right into it with their friends.Red Dead Onlinehas also followed this particular model, with players being able to purchase different bases and bits of gear tounlock new roles likeRed Dead Online’s Moonshiner.
What The Future of Rockstar Games May Look Like
As a consequence of how successful Rockstar Game’s live service multiplayer modes are, it makes sense that the developer would not be as interested in releasing singleplayer DLC. Fans may have banded together to sign apetition for single-player DLC inRed Dead Redemption 2, but DLC historically tends to not sell nearly as well as main titles despite requiring a lot of time and resources on the part of the developer. The smaller online updates require fewer resources while likely attracting more players and keeping them playing the company’s games for longer. This means that Rockstar Games is unlikely to move away from the model anytime soon.
As such, fans of Rockstar Games' titles should prepare themselves for situations similar to that ofGrand Theft Auto 5.GTA 5is now almost a decade old, and there has been little more than rumors and speculation about its sequel as the game is about to release on its third generation of consoles. With how successfulGrand Theft Auto OnlineandRed Dead Onlinehave been for Rockstar Games, it makes sense that the company would focus on supporting those modes for as long as possible before releasing a proper sequel once interest in the franchise begins to die down. Of course, this has many of Rockstar’s fans frustrated with the developer, but it only makes sense that the company would want to stick with the extremely profitable business model that it has mastered.
Hopefully, fans of the developer will get some news soon on what is next for the company. There have beenleaks suggesting a remastered trilogy ofGrand Theft Autotitles, whileGrand Theft Auto 6does seem like an inevitable release at some point in the future. Gamers can only hope that they will not have to wait much longer for official news from the developers on the projects, and, hopefully, the company will not move away completely from the fantastic singleplayer campaigns thatRockstarfans have come to love.
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