Earlier this week, Rockstar Games ruffled some feathers when it revealed that players who purchased the Red Dead Redemption 2 special edition will get exclusive access to some gameplay content. The only way to access that content - a gang hideout and a bank heist mission - would be to purchase the Red Dead Redemption 2 Special Edition and it would not be available through any other means. Following backlash from fans online, the company has now addressed those concerns.

In Rockstar Games' own announcement post, the company lists the gang hideout and the bank heist missions under "exclusive content for Story Mode," leading to some confusion among fans. One fan took to Twitter to question why the company was locking story missions from fans and to this, the Rockstar Games account responded that these missions are "side activities created specifically for that edition and are not part of the main story." Confusingly, although they are part of the game's Story Mode, they are not part of the Red Dead Redemption 2 story.

While some will appreciate that Rockstar has taken the time to clarify, others will still be disappointed. On the one hand, it's important for those who pay for the Red Dead Redemption 2 Special Edition to get their money's worth, but on the other hand, fans eager to access that content will be disappointed. Those who cannot afford the Special Edition will have been hoping to purchase that content separately (at a lower price) so that they don't miss out.

Additionally, some fans are concerned that this is the first step in Rockstar's plan to nickel and dime players. Players have previously expressed their worries about the game's multiplayer mode, with some fearing that Red Dead Redemption 2 multiplayer will be full of aggressive microtransactions that aim to squeeze money out of them. As the game comes in the wake of other games that have featured (what have been perceived as) exploitative business models, it's understandable why some are concerned that Red Dead Redemption 2 will be more of the same. It's also understandable why some are looking at the Special Edition's exclusive content with added skepticism.

But at this point, very little is known about how Rockstar plans to monetize the game post-launch. Microtransactions have been confirmed but it's unclear exactly how they will feature and whether there will also be story DLC expansions. The company will steadily be revealing more between now and release date, though, so watch this space.

Red Dead Redemption 2 is set to launch on October 26, 2018 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.