Red Dead Redemption online release date: Beta of multiplayer mode to arrive later this month, developers say

Developers revealed new details about the mysterious, much anticipated feature

Red Dead Redemption's mysterious online mode will finally arrive towards the end of the month, developers have confirmed.

Very little is known about the multiplayer part of Red Dead Redemption 2, despite the fact the game came out last month. But now senior staff at Take Two, which owns developers Rockstar, have shed light on the rollout and what it might include.

Red Dead's online mode is thought to be similar to GTA Online, which built on GTA 5's world in such a deep way that it is considered almost a separate game.

Developers already announced that it would be revealed in November, but said very little beyond that. Now Take Two has revealed that the release date will come "towards the end of the month" and that it will offer entirely new ways of playing the game.

“Red Dead Online is an evolution of the classic multiplayer experience in the original Red Dead Redemption, blending narrative with competitive and cooperative game-play in fun new ways,” said Karl Slatoff, president of Take-Two.

“Using the gameplay of Red Dead Redemption 2 as a foundation, the vast world of Red Dead Online will be ready to be explored alone or with friends, and will feature constant updates and adjustments to grow and evolve this experience for all players. Access to Red Dead Online will be free with the purchase of Red Dead Redemption 2 on both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One."

Neither Mr Slatoff or CEO Strauss Zelnick would be drawn on how the company plans to make money out of the online version of the game. In GTA, players are encouraged to spend potentially vast amounts of money to upgrade their in-game experience, by paying for access to new items and other add-ons.

When it announced that the online version of Red Dead Redemption 2 would be coming in November, Rockstar stressed that it would probably have some issues. "As with most online experiences of this size and scale, there will inevitably be some turbulence at launch," it noted, and said that players should get involved with the development of the world.