Rockstar Games’ Red Dead Online has upset players who feel the game is now pushing microtransactions harder than ever before.
Monetisation from Rockstar Games is nothing new, after all it’s a huge reason as to why GTA Online is one of the most profitable games of all time. So when Red Dead Redemption 2 released in 2018 along with Red Dead Online monetisation was expected.
In Red Dead Online, the purchasable Bounty Hunters Pass traditionally offers ten new levels with not only in-game rewards as you level up, but also the ability to earn back the 15 Gold Bars that it cost to acquire the pass. (Gold Bars are the in-game currency which can be purchased with real-world money).
Sadly that’s no longer the case.
With the introduction of a new season to Red Dead Online, a new Outlaw Pass has been welcomes to the game. However, unlike the 15 Gold Bars it takes to purchase the Bounty Hunter Pass, the Outlaw Pass comes at an increased cost of 40 Gold Bars.
Sure, at 40 Gold Bars there are even more rewards to unlock for the most dedicated of players. Yet the issue from many players is that, unlike the previous Bounty Hunter Pass, it is not possible to earn back all of your 40 Gold Bars as you can only earn 30, assuming you achieve all of its level tiers.
Sadly that is not all, because according to reliable fan website Rockstar Intel, Rockstar Games has also aggressively nerfed the in-game rewards of Red Dead Online.
Players can acquire in-game Gold via the Daily Challenges, and if you could maintain a steady streak of one challenge per day, players could earn 0.4 Gold Bars for each challenge – which adds up over the weeks.
However with this latest update, Rockstar Games is reportedly not only resetting the challenge streaks after 28 days, but has also halved the Daily Challenge earnings. This is making the grind even more aggressive, which is likely to push more players into spending more real-world money.
To put this form of monetisation into perspective, Rockstar Intel uses the example of a single skin in Red Dead Online costing 21 Gold Bars.
Rockstar Intel also mentions that Red Dead Online receives far fewer content updates compared to that of GTA Online, adding to loyal player’s frustrations.
Are you feeling short-changed by Rockstar Games in Red Dead Online and how do you feel about microtransactions? Let us know by reacting to our Emoji’s below.
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Featured Image Credit: Rockstar Games