At long last, Red Dead Redemption 2 is set to make its debut on PC via Steam, Google Stadia, Epic Game Store and Rockstar's PC Launcher on November 5. However, if you're one of the many modders chomping at the bit to make the wild west setting of Red Dead Redemption Online your own, uncertainty looms. When asked point-blank about mod support, Rockstar North Associate Technical Director Alex Hajadj essentially gave a non-answer to the question.
Rockstar's games have always provided fertile ground for the creativity of modders. In particular, Grand Theft Auto V's modding scene is one of the most diverse and expansive you'll find in gaming. That said, the action is largely limited to the single-player experience. If you want to turn your own, personal iteration of Los Santos into Game of Thrones, for example, no problem - there's a dragon mod. You want Iron Man to run amok on your story mode save? Great, there's a mod for that, too. Grand Theft Auto Online is different, though, as Rockstar has even engaged in the banning of modders in GTA's multiplayer mode.
Hajadj spoke with IGN over e-mail this week to give more details on Red Dead Redemption 2's PC release, which comes a little over a year after the game originally dropped for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. And while he did shed some light on the development process and offered insight on Rockstar's tendency to stagger PC releases for their titles, mum was the word on mod support. If anything, his comments lead one to believe that mods won't be available to RDR Online players. However, there was no confirmation one way or the other. Here is what Hajadj had to say on the topic:
"We love the passion that players have for our games and the creativity that comes with that. Our priority, as always, is on working to preserve the integrity of the Red Dead Online experience and making sure that the community can enjoy that space freely in the way it was intended."
In the weeks leading up to RDR2's PC release, social media has been rife with talk of online mods. As it stands, though, players may find themselves saddled with RDR Online's vanilla experience. That would be an unfortunate development for an online game that failed to live up to its single-player upon its launch. While the world of RDR2 was brimming with colorful characters, side quests and Easter eggs, its online counterpart mostly felt hollow by comparison.
There have been updates, of course, and Hajadj did tell IGN that there are big plans for post-launch support now that Red Dead Redemption 2 is coming to PC. Online mods may just not be part of those plans.
Source: IGN