Fans of Red Dead Redemption 2's online multiplayer aspect Red Dead Online have been frustrated with developer Rockstar for some time now. Players see Rockstar's continued support of Grand Theft Auto Online and wonder why it has seemingly stopped putting out new content for Red Dead Online. They haven't given up hope yet, however. And according to a new leak, their continued push for further updates may be rewarded.
Red Dead Online recently received a small, disappointing update that was said to improve the security of the multiplayer game. While the update itself was nothing worth mentioning, dataminers were able to discover some interesting changes within Red Dead Online's files. The reference refers to "rustling_owner_dead" and a string of text that reads "This ranch has been abandoned by its owners. Come back later." Obviously, that's not a persuasive piece of evidence regarding a future content update, but it's enough to stir up some speculation.
The definition of "rustling" is to round up or steal cattle, horses, or sheep and is often associated with ranching and the western genre in general. Rustling isn't an official feature, as in there's no complex system built around stealing horses or other animals to reward the behavior. It's easy to see how such a feature would fit in the world of Red Dead Online, though.
Coincidentally, this isn't the first time that dataminers have found a reference to "rustling" in Red Dead Online's files, either. In 2021, a multiplayer map icon blip was found for rustling. The little black and white icon featured a small house shape with walls and a roof with what must be a rustler wearing a cowboy hat and bandana over their mouth inside. The blip is not in use in Red Dead Online or Red Dead Redemption 2, leading some to speculate it's for future content.
There are alternative explanations for rustling to be mentioned in Red Dead Online, of course. The most likely of which is that rustling was a feature Rockstar was working on and then canceled, which would explain why references to it are being found in Red Dead Online's code. It could be a part of another feature, too, and the name is being misinterpreted.
It's not right to ruin the optimism of Red Dead Online players, however. Here's hoping that the datamined references to rustling indicate that a new job is being worked on by Rockstar for release in a future Red Dead Online update. Players may soon find themselves stealing farm animals for profit.
Red Dead Online is available now on PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.