GTA 5 Online, Red Dead 2 Online Events Are Continuing During Coronavirus, Rockstar Says

Despite the coronavirus (COVID-19) threatening to disrupt its development workflow, Rockstar Games isn't planning to stop its ongoing content updates for Grand Theft Auto V's Grand Theft Auto Online and Red Dead Redemption 2's Red Dead Online.

In a message posted on its official Twitter page, Rockstar Games said it is maintaining a weekly programming schedule and more events and activities for Grand Theft Auto Online and Red Dead Online are coming. These are typically a mix of experience bonuses, new missions, and clothing items, and they occasionally contain older content brought back for a limited time. [Update: Sure enough, new weekly GTA Online and Red Dead Online updates have now begun.]

Like several other major game companies, Rockstar Games has shifted to remote work in order to prevent coronavirus from spreading further. The developer doesn't anticipate any major disruptions because of the change, and parent company Take-Two's CEO Strauss Zelnick said earlier this month that Take-Two was capable of having employees work from home.

Rockstar Games doesn't currently have any announced new games in development, though it's unclear if the current situation is affecting any unannounced titles, such as a potential new Grand Theft Auto game. To complicate matters, vice president of creative at Rockstar Games Dan Houser recently left the company.

The coronavirus could result in game delays elsewhere, including the upcoming Minecraft Dungeons. The game's development team said remote work is impacting its progress and could result in a bump from its scheduled April release date, though there hasn't been an official decision made yet.