The Red Dead Online community had started planning a funeral for the game, to coincide with the anniversary of the game’s last major update. They didn't know that it would be officially declared dead in advance.

On July 7, 2022, Rockstar Games pushed an update to its Newswire, confirming that Red Dead Online would not receive any more “major themed content updates,” as the studio shifts development resources onto Grand Theft Auto 6.

The news came less than a week before July 13, the one-year anniversary of Red Dead Online’s last major update, Blood Money, which brought a smattering of missions, a dubious in-game currency, and The Quick Draw Club, a rapid-fire monthly iteration of Red Dead Online’s existing battle pass. You could argue the writing was on the wall last year, but that doesn’t make the news sting any less. The sun is officially beginning to set on the digital Old West, just three years after launch.

“Honestly, it felt prophetic”, said Magnar, who runs the community hub @RedDeadRDC, and posted about the plan to hold a funeral - which takes place in-game today. “It just felt like something had to give, but I’m glad they finally announced it so players who were waiting can have the closure to either move on from RDO or carry on as they were.”

The good news for fans is that Rockstar has committed to maintaining Red Dead Online for the time being, with the monthly tweaks and seasonal events that dedicated players know all too well. The bad news is that a passionate, creative community has had its gorgeous virtual home put on life support, and the palliative care will not be permanent.

We spoke to a number of the game's most committed fans about what it feels like to know that the game they love is inevitably on the way out.

Sunsetting

A far cry from the jet black attire planned for the July 13 vigils, the remarkable #SaveRedDeadOnline movement started with bright red and blue, as players donned clown costumes to protest a lack of updates from Rockstar. “Since we're all clowns for believing we'll get an update, it's fitting that we dress up as them in-game too," reads the description for the Red Dead Fashion subreddit’s July 2020 fashion contest, titled ‘The Travelling Circus’.

The post’s author, also Magnar, reflected on its legacy. “I think the Clown movement & Traveling Circus event demonstrated that players are able to bring attention to the state of a game they love and that it doesn’t have to devolve into the toxicity you often see when communities are unhappy,” said Magnar, citing the launch of Cyberpunk 2077 and Battlefield 2024. “Players were able to actually get involved by playing the game - rather than just complaining on social media, they could join other players and actually have some fun. It was quite a unique experience.”

This light-hearted costume party was the powderkeg that galvanised the Red Dead Online community. In the months and years that followed, the #SaveRedDeadOnline hashtag became a rally point across social media, bringing players closer together as they imagined a brighter future for the game. As well as voicing frustration at Rockstar’s lack of communication, it also became a way for players to shed light on how they were using the emergent sandbox to make their own fun. All you have to do is take a look at the replies to this tweet to see the sheer range of activities that are still ongoing in Red Dead Online, including roleplay, trail rides, cosplay, photography or daft drunken antics.

One of the most impressive artefacts of the period is YangyYoung’s Ultimate Concept Bundle, a five-year, 11-update plan for Red Dead Online that combines community feedback with clever design concepts and well-reasoned justifications. It’s a bible of suggestions for ways in which Rockstar could enrich the game, including a proposed end to the now-unfinished ‘A Land of Opportunities’ storyline, intricate Heists and so much more.

A bittersweet read in light of recent news, it speaks to the huge community spirit that surrounds the game and proves that Red Dead Online didn’t wither due to a lack of ideas from those playing it. According to YangyYoung, the response to the bundle has been overwhelmingly positive and emotional. “Many people seem to wish Rockstar licensed it in some way, and believe it truly could have saved the game,” they said. “Even if Red Dead doesn’t benefit from it now, who knows, maybe I can use it to prove my work ethic to future employers at the very least.”

There’s a strong sense in the community that Red Dead Online’s downfall was impacted by Rockstar’s approach to player communication. “The sort of back-and-forth you see with devs and fan bases with titles like Destiny 2, Halo Infinite and Minecraft allows fans to help mould the game they already love into something even more ideally suited towards them,” YangyYoung explains. “It’s a universally agreed-upon fact that Rockstar’s traditional super secretive method of development no longer works in an industry that much more appreciates transparency and honesty.”

This point was echoed by Rockstar community figure Tez2, who noted how promising Rockstar’s communication felt during the game’s initial beta period. “Had #SaveRedDeadOnline occurred back then, Rockstar would have likely responded in no time,” they said. “Datamining reveals tons of ideas were planned prior to release. Properties, Lawmen posses, Cattle Rustling, Horse/Wagon Fences, [Red Dead Redemption 2 character] Seth Briars making an appearance ...etc. The issue is more of prioritization. GTA Online is gaining increased prioritization due to GTA+, music-centred content (Music is a major aspect within Rockstar's foundation) and, of course, financial success.”

Even with its superior graphics and historical charm, Red Dead Online was inevitably going to live in its billion-dollar brother’s shadow. The community isn’t unsympathetic to that. “GTA Online is still a huge success, and since they are working on GTA 6, which will also be, inevitably, another record-breaker, it's no wonder RDO is low priority,” community figure Yan2295 explained. “In the end, they're running a business, not a charity.”

For many community members, however, the frustration stems from unfinished business. “[Rockstar] has promised so much to this incredible title in its Newswire and interviews with the press - it took them 7-8 years to bring one of the most detailed open-worlds to date, it’s so disheartening to see them completely abandon the game,” said community figure Ben (@videotech_ on Twitter). “Most players have hundreds of thousands of RDO$ sitting in their accounts ready to spend after years of playing.”

Others have hitched their real-life income to the game in some respects, expecting support and updates to be kept up. DirtyTyler is a Red Dead Online YouTuber with 87k subscribers who makes helpful service videos detailing where to find in-game treasures and items. The current state of Red Dead Online means they’re starting to look at other games to make content on. “As someone who likes creating guides and keeping track of things to come in Red Dead Online, Rockstar’s handling of the game has really impacted my approach to content - I create videos much less frequently now,” they said. “Updates started to get smaller and smaller until they dried up, and for a while, it started to feel like the content was really out of touch with what the community wanted… We are essentially homeless millionaires.”

Death Defiance

Though many community members feel let down by the chain of events, nobody I spoke to plans to quit the game outright, which is a hopeful notion. After all, even without any meaningful updates from Rockstar, Red Dead Online still stands as an incredible online multiplayer sandbox. If you’re used to its refined gameplay and meticulous detail, where else are you going to go? It’s not like there’s an abundance of massively multiplayer Westerns with stupendous production values. With that in mind, many players have been forced to find innovative ways to make the most of it.

One such player is TheKey32, who has cultivated a following in the Red Dead Fashion community by posting elegant pictures of Sir Joseph Windsor, a dapper gentleman character they’ve been developing outfits and aesthetics for with Red Dead Online’s customization tools. TheKey32’s keen interest in Early 1900s history made Rockstar’s intricate Western a match made in heaven. “There was never a game set in that time period that gave me that freedom and I really appreciated it,” they said. “The idea started way back in high school when I made a sprite for a game I was working on for a school project. The main character was a dapper gentleman dubbed “Sir Knight” - a very early concept but over the years, and of course, with RDR2, I fully fleshed out his character!”

Sir Joseph wears many hats and even made an appearance as a ringmaster during The Travelling Circus event. But a lack of new customization options will make it difficult for TheKey32 and other virtual fashionistas.

“It’s getting stale for a lot of people, as I and many other creators have pretty much made all the outfits we like,” they explained. “Mods in Story Mode help but, unfortunately, it’s not something most people can get and enjoy.” TheKey32 would love to see Rockstar add all of the NPC clothes, beards and haircuts to Red Dead Online to expand the pool of assets to use, as well as the Rockstar Editor (a beloved feature in GTA V that allows players to edit and share footage from story mode and GTA Online). “The game has so much potential, especially for people that love customization, but unfortunately, it is untapped by Rockstar,” they said.

Elsewhere, communities have flourished by tapping Red Dead Online’s missed potential for themselves. Equestrian interest in Red Dead Online makes a lot of sense thanks to the fluid riding, complex horse maintenance and, of course, the fact that their cojones shrink in the Ambarino cold… The Rift founder Chelsea Farace took notice of this and started hosting virtual trail riding events during the pandemic. It became a comforting activity in uncertain times, when horse owners might not have even been able to go to the barn IRL.

Unexpectedly, The Rift has seen massive growth, even as Red Dead Online went through its content drought. The community now boasts over 2,500 members taking part in multiple trails per day, as well as larger charity events to support causes the crew is passionate about. Most recently, The Rift’s 2nd-anniversary event saw them raise $400 for the Ukrainian Equestrian Charity Foundation. “Playing with other people can make even the most mundane parts of the game more exciting,” said Ferd, an admin at The Rift. “We have a lot of members who have admitted that they had abandoned RDO due to the lack of content, but have found love for the game again because of The Rift.”

The Rift would, of course, love to see new horse-related content come to Red Dead Online, but the community has long been steeled to the reality of the situation. “In the end, we play the game the way we want, so the lack of new content doesn’t have any real influence on what we do,” said Ferd. “To a lot of gamers that love horses, RDO is an excellent replacement for riding or handling them in real life. Horse girls alone could definitely keep the game populated based on the fact that it has better graphics and mechanics than any actual horse game that is available as of today.”

Dying Worlds

Red Dead Online isn’t the first virtual world to lose developer support, and it won’t be the last. For most of the people I interviewed for this story, this wasn’t even the first time they’d been a part of a gaming community that had faced an existential crisis. Games like Defiance, Anthem, Overwatch, Battlefield 1, and even the original Red Dead Redemption multiplayer were pointed to as examples.

As more and more options become available, online worlds are withering away at an alarming rate, and the communities formed around them are taking the brunt of the damage. This problem is only going to grow – the pandemic accelerated interest in online multiplayer, and massively multiplayer service games with social hubs and emergent sandboxes are big development trends right now.

Hearing the stories of the Red Dead Online community, there’s an increasing feeling that there should be a level of responsibility when implementing features that nurture a community if players are inevitably going to be left in the dust. Massively multiplayer worlds are expensive to maintain, but if you measure a game’s success by the zeal and ingenuity of its players then Red Dead Online is by no means a failure – which is why the game’s fate after just three years feels so confusing.

The worst part about this phenomenon is that the answer to the “why?” of all this is probably a simple but cynical one, one of concurrents and cashflow. GTA Online is clearly an enormous success for Rockstar, and Red Dead Online simply cannot match that for players and money brought in. But this presents a problem over time.

As Yan2295 put it: “If every publisher starts using their most successful product, oftentimes a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence like GTA Online, as a benchmark, does it mean that every product coming out after that will be seen as a flop and quickly abandoned?”

It sets a worrying precedent. “It adds more reasons to not trust promises from developers, and to always keep a sense of skepticism,” adds Tez2.

But even if Rockstar has put its cowpokes out to pasture, the Red Dead Online community isn’t ready to accept early retirement. “I don't think a great deal actually changes, aside from those who move on and the initial reaction to the news,” Magnar said. “Rockstar has given us next to nothing for the past two years, so it's just business as usual for the most part. Our community will still continue to host events and contests and share all the cool things other players are up to.”

“The state of Red Dead Online as it is now has enough content to bring in new players and keep them interested for many hours of gameplay,” said Ferd. “Even many long-time players like myself haven’t really been able to move on to something new, as it provides gameplay that not many other games can offer – especially if you want to play with your friends. I think it is more likely that people stop playing due to Rockstar shutting down the servers than anything else. I mean, what other games let you run around with your friends in the Wild West?”

Questions remain, though: how long will Rockstar keep the lights on for, and what will the community do once the game is gone altogether? It's an increasingly common worry in the modern gaming climate, and one that isn't being readily solved by publishers.

Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer. Follow him on Twitter.

Mass Effect developer BioWare never intended to make the now-beloved Garrus a romance option in the second game and was "blindsided" when fans asked for it.

In an "Ask Me Anything" on Reddit, Mass Effect writer Drew Karpyshyn was asked if the BioWare team always intended to bring Garrus and Tali back in the second game or if it was decided later as a response to players' positive reactions towards them.

"We always knew they'd come back as companions," Karpyshyn said. "I was a bit surprised fans wanted the romance options. Tali I could sort of see. You never saw her face, so it was easy to imagine something vaguely human (but she had those weird feet). Garrus blindsided me," he added. "But once we saw what fans wanted, we decided to deliver."

Though Mass Effect 2 was released more than a decade ago in 2010, conversations around the game were rekindled last year when the trilogy was released in one package as Mass Effect: The Legendary Edition.

BioWare has also been teasing more about the fifth game recently and revealed earlier in July that Guardians of the Galaxy and Deus Ex prequel writer Mary DeMarle had joined the team as its senior narrative director.

Mass Effect 5, for lack of an official title, was being "actively prototyped" as of February 2022 and first announced in December 2021. BioWare also released a new teaser image that includes a handful of secrets for fans to decipher and was later forced to address (and deny) an apparent leak that suggested original protagonist Commander Shepard was returning in the new game.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

Solo star Aldren Ehrenreich has landed a "key role" in Marvel's upcoming Ironheart series at Disney+, though it's currently unknown which character he will be playing.

According to Deadline, Ehrenreich has become the latest member of the Ironheart ensemble and will star alongside previously announced cast members Dominique Thorne, Anthony Ramos, Lyric Ross, and Manny Montana. Thorne is headlining the series as Riri Williams, "a genius inventor and creator of the most advanced suit of armor since Iron Man."

The character made waves in the Marvel universe in 2016 in the pages of The Invincible Iron Man, and will now make her MCU debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever this November. Thorne is said to have shot her scenes for the upcoming sequel before reuniting with director Ryan Coogler on the Ironheart series, for which he serves as an executive producer.

As for Ehrenreich, he will next be seen in the Elizabeth Banks-directed thriller Cocaine Bear. He also recently wrapped production on Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer for Universal Pictures. Ehrenreich's past credits include Solo: A Star Wars Story, in which he played a young Han Solo, as well as the Coen brothers comedy Hail, Caesar! and Peacock's Brave New World.

While Marvel hasn't yet confirmed a release window for Ironheart, the studio has plenty of Disney+ projects on the horizon. She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is coming up in August as the next live-action Disney+ series in the MCU following Ms. Marvel. There are also a few specials along the way in addition to Black Panther: Wakanda Forever landing in theaters in November.

Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.

As Doom continues to be played on just about every piece of technology available, things have finally gone full circle as someone has now made Doom playable in, well, Doom.

As spotted by PCGamesN, YouTube user kgsws uploaded a video of himself modding the game into itself, before showing actual gameplay of him playing Doom within Doom on PC.

The 'inner' Doom replaces a wall within regular Doom and mimics any movements the player makes. By walking right up to it, the inner Doom therefore takes up the full screen and can be played in its entirety before players return to playing the main game.

While there's obviously not much practical use for this, it's just another fun and ridiculous way players have found to play the classic 1993 shooter. Other recent examples include playing Doom on a McDonald's kiosk, on Twitter, and even a pregnancy test.

They join a much longer list that includes a LEGO brick, an ATM, a potato-powered calculator, a treadmill, and more.

For those looking for a more modern and, dare we say, normal way to play Doom, the latest game in the franchise, Doom Eternal, would be a good choice. In our 9/10 review, IGN said: "Whether you're a new Doom fan or a veteran one, Doom Eternal is bound to delight & entertain you. It's gloriously fun."

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

Superhero fans have been wondering how mutants – and therefore the X-Men – would be introduced to the Marvel Cinematic Universe ever since Disney purchased Fox in 2019, but that question has finally been answered thanks to the Ms. Marvel series.

Warning: The following paragraphs include spoilers for the Ms. Marvel Disney+ series.

Early on in the series we learned that the magic bangle worn by Kamala Khan, Ms. Marvel herself, only activated something already within her, and we're later told that she's a djinn, a new type of supernatural being for the MCU.

In the sixth and final episode, however, Khan and Bruno discuss her genes further before he comments there's something different about her still, "like a mutation".

While this could still be open to interpretation given how many directions the MCU is currently going, a quick soundbite of the actual X-Men: The Animated Series theme song plays on top of the scene, making it pretty clear that Ms. Marvel is the first stepping stone towards a full mutant and X-Men introduction.

Marvel hasn't said anything about the X-Men's introduction to the MCU previously but it is focusing resources into the franchise elsewhere with the X-Men '97 series that's coming to Disney+ next year. One of Fox's other major franchises, The Fantastic Four, is being introduced as the final film in Phase 4, perhaps leaving Phase 5 wide open for a full X-Men introduction.

This would include characters including Wolverine (a role that's currently being pursued by Taron Egerton of the Kingsman franchise), Professor X (that featured briefly in one of the latest Doctor Strange film's alternate universe), and Magneto.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

Twitter is following through on its promise to sue Elon Musk, filing suit against the billionaire CEO of Tesla and SpaceX in a Delaware court. Twitter says it wants Musk to follow through on the deal and to be "enjoined from further breaches, ordered to comply with their obligations to work toward satisfying the few closing conditions, and ordered to close upon satisfaction of those conditions."

The scathing complaint calls Musk a "model of bad faith," and claims that he is attempting to pass along the costs of the recent stock market downturn to stockholders. Twitter also dismissed Musk's claims that the social media giant failed to comply with its part of the agreement as pretexts that lack any merit.

"Having mounted a public spectacle to put Twitter in play, and having proposed and then signed a seller-friendly merger agreement, Musk apparently believes that he — unlike every other party subject to Delaware contract law — is free to change his mind, trash the company, disrupt its operations, destroy stockholder value, and walk away," the lawsuit reads.

Oh the irony lol

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 12, 2022

In response, Musk tweeted, "Oh the irony lol."

The lawsuit follows Twitter chairman Bret Taylors' vow to sue Musk, saying that the company is confident that it will prevail in court. Musk, for his part, has claimed that Twitter is obfuscating the true number of spambots and fake accounts it supports.

Musk first made a $44 billion offer to buy Twitter back in April. He seemed to feel buyer's remorse immediately after the deal was accepted, claiming that Twitter was failing to fulfill its obligations and claiming the company was in breach of contract. Twitter, for its part, moved steadily ahead with the deal, unaminously recommending that stockholders vote in favor of the merger.

Twitter is seeking a four-day trial in September, with a deadline of October 24 for the deal to be completed.

Blogroll image credit: Patrick Pleul/Pool/AFP via Getty Images.

Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.

Twitter is following through on its promise to sue Elon Musk, filing suit against the billionaire CEO of Tesla and SpaceX in a Delaware court. Twitter says it wants Musk to follow through on the deal and to be "enjoined from further breaches, ordered to comply with their obligations to work toward satisfying the few closing conditions, and ordered to close upon satisfaction of those conditions."

The scathing complaint calls Musk a "model of bad faith," and claims that he is attempting to pass along the costs of the recent stock market downturn to stockholders. Twitter also dismissed Musk's claims that the social media giant failed to comply with its part of the agreement as pretexts that lack any merit.

"Having mounted a public spectacle to put Twitter in play, and having proposed and then signed a seller-friendly merger agreement, Musk apparently believes that he — unlike every other party subject to Delaware contract law — is free to change his mind, trash the company, disrupt its operations, destroy stockholder value, and walk away," the lawsuit reads.

Oh the irony lol

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 12, 2022

In response, Musk tweeted, "Oh the irony lol."

The lawsuit follows Twitter chairman Bret Taylors' vow to sue Musk, saying that the company is confident that it will prevail in court. Musk, for his part, has claimed that Twitter is obfuscating the true number of spambots and fake accounts it supports.

Musk first made a $44 billion offer to buy Twitter back in April. He seemed to feel buyer's remorse immediately after the deal was accepted, claiming that Twitter was failing to fulfill its obligations and claiming the company was in breach of contract. Twitter, for its part, moved steadily ahead with the deal, unaminously recommending that stockholders vote in favor of the merger.

Twitter is seeking a four-day trial in September, with a deadline of October 24 for the deal to be completed.

Blogroll image credit: Patrick Pleul/Pool/AFP via Getty Images.

Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.

Chadwick Boseman's iconic career lives on. Today, the late actor, who passed away in 2020, received a posthumous Emmy nomination in the Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance category for his role in Disney+ and Marvel Studios' What If...?.

Boseman reprised his acclaimed role as T'Challa for an episode of the animated series, which imagines different timelines and endings for MCU characters (and also received its own nomination for the Outstanding Animated Program category). What If...? notably aired after Boseman's passing and marked his last appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

This isn't the first time Boseman's career has been recognized after his death. Earlier this year, Boseman also received a posthumous Oscar nomination and won a Screen Actors Guild award for his role in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom.

Boseman passed away in 2020 at the age of 43 after a four year-long fight against colon cancer. He was best known for his role as T'Challa in Marvel's Black Panther, which was the first superhero movie to earn a Best Picture nomination, though his career saw him take on numerous other leading roles such as Jackie Robinson in 42 and Thurgood Marshall in Marshall.

The Emmy Awards are slated to air on September 12.

Amelia Zollner is a freelance writer at IGN who loves all things indie and Nintendo. Outside of IGN, they've contributed to sites like Polygon and Rock Paper Shotgun. Find them on Twitter: @ameliazollner.

Chadwick Boseman's iconic career lives on. Today, the late actor, who passed away in 2020, received a posthumous Emmy nomination in the Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance category for his role in Disney+ and Marvel Studios' What If...?.

Boseman reprised his acclaimed role as T'Challa for an episode of the animated series, which imagines different timelines and endings for MCU characters (and also received its own nomination for the Outstanding Animated Program category). What If...? notably aired after Boseman's passing and marked his last appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

This isn't the first time Boseman's career has been recognized after his death. Earlier this year, Boseman also received a posthumous Oscar nomination and won a Screen Actors Guild award for his role in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom.

Boseman passed away in 2020 at the age of 43 after a four year-long fight against colon cancer. He was best known for his role as T'Challa in Marvel's Black Panther, which was the first superhero movie to earn a Best Picture nomination, though his career saw him take on numerous other leading roles such as Jackie Robinson in 42 and Thurgood Marshall in Marshall.

The Emmy Awards are slated to air on September 12.

Amelia Zollner is a freelance writer at IGN who loves all things indie and Nintendo. Outside of IGN, they've contributed to sites like Polygon and Rock Paper Shotgun. Find them on Twitter: @ameliazollner.

Nearly a year after Relic Entertainment and Sega announced Company of Heroes 3, the next entry in the beloved World War II real-time strategy series finally has a release date. Today, Relic Entertainment revealed that CoH3 is set to release on November 17, 2022.

According to a press release, the game will have four playable factions and two separate campaigns at launch: the more open-ended Italian Dynamic Campaign and the focused, narrative-based North African Operation.

These campaigns will also introduce players to new mechanics, including "side armor, enemy vehicle recovery and vehicle-towing, which lets you reposition your hard-hitting artillery like the German Flak 36 and British 17-Pounder."

While the game won't be out until November, Relic Entertainment is now promoting its community feedback program, which gives players the opportunity to test part of the North African Operation campaign, titled Mission Alpha. The mission, which is also free on Steam starting today until July 19, follows the "Deutsches Afrikakorps (DAK) as they attempt to repel the British from their entrenched positions."

Last year, IGN previewed a pre-alpha version of the game. More recently, IGN was able to take part in a hands-on preview of Company of Heroes 3's North African Operation, and there were quite a few impressive differences between the game's varied settings.

Amelia Zollner is a freelance writer at IGN who loves all things indie and Nintendo. Outside of IGN, they've contributed to sites like Polygon and Rock Paper Shotgun. Find them on Twitter: @ameliazollner.