Summary
Grand Theft Auto 6is a game with a lot riding on it. One blemish thatGrand Theft Auto 6could help smooth over is one involving the studio’s previous game,Red Dead Redemption 2, and how it lacked something that could have been crucial for its fanbase, whichGTA6should prioritize. Rockstar’s Western sequel was released in 2018 to critical praise and high sales with the online mode officially launching a few months later.
Unfortunately, it never quite took off the wayGrand Theft Auto Onlinedid. Because of this, the game never received the same level of attention and content updates from the studio. Support forRed Dead Onlinebegan to wind downlast year, but the developer still provides the occasional content update. Rockstar Games' decision not to give the base game or online mode any significant DLC has been a stain on its reputation for several years. These are all things that could be forgiven provided thatGrand Theft Auto 6has more post-launch support.
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Rockstar Games' Fantastic Track Record for DLCs and Expansions
DespiteRed Dead Redemption 2’s relative lack of new content,Rockstar Games has a fantastic DLC track record.Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmareis often listed as one of the best expansions ever made, for example, whileGrand Theft Auto: Lost and the DamnedandBallad of Gay Tonytold fantastic standalone stories in Liberty City
Moreover,Grand Theft Auto Onlinehad many great DLC events and updates. These included full new areas for players to pull heists and other additions that were based on a particular season. The latest of these was the San Andreas Mercenaries expansion which launched earlier this summer. Still, a lot of these expansions seemingly came at the expense of any sizableRed Dead Redemption 2content. This is something thatGrand Theft Auto 6cannot repeat.
Since it was initially released,Grand Theft Auto Onlinehas made over seven billion dollars for Rockstar Games. Because of that, it’s probably safe to assume thatGrand Theft Auto 6will continue this mode in some way. Whether it will be a fully new online mode or function as a content update for the original remains to be seen, but it should include its own expansions and updates either way.
Grand Theft Auto 6is also a game that could give Rockstar Games a fresh start, and even thoughRed Dead Redemption 2is widely beloved, it was missing DLC. In addition to giving players more multiplayer expansions, the company should consider releasing new single-player DLC for the game. This would likely go a long way to helping the company restore its reputation and smooth over the edges ofRed Dead Redemption 2’s lack of DLC, at least as Rockstar moves forward with other projects.
There is currently no way to know what Rockstar Games has planned for the future of the franchise. OnceGrand Theft Auto 6launches, the developer will likely begin to reveal new long-term plans for the franchise’s latest installment. This will hopefully include a long list of DLC updates for the multiplayer and single-player story content for the base game, showing an investment in its longevity. If it were to do so, it would rectify an error Rockstar arguably made withRed Dead Redemption 2and future Rockstar titles.
