What The HELL Happened To Red Dead Online?

Since its release as a public beta in November 2018, Red Dead Online has been, well, struggling. You'd wonder how it's possible, especially with Red Dead Redemption 2 selling 44 million copies as of May 2022. Plus, it follows the uber-popular Grand Theft Auto Online. So why is Red Dead Online in trouble? Why did players hold an in-game funeral for it recently and what is Rockstar doing to fix things?

Spoilers on the latter: Not much. Let's start at the beginning, though. Set one year before Red Dead Redemption 2, Red Dead Online presents many of the same open-world elements as the single-player campaign. After escaping prison to exact revenge for a murder one didn't commit, players could get into shoot-outs, complete story missions, and even make decisions that affected their honor. There were also free roam activities for those who just wanted to explore the world with their horse. The presentation and overall writing received some praise, but problems began almost immediately.