The messages and gestures of the video game industry are multiplying to pay tribute to George Floyd. After Sony, Microsoft, Square Enix and EA, it was, this Thursday, June 4, the turn of Rockstar Games to make an official announcement. And for the first time, players were involved: the servers of GTA Online and Red Dead Online were suspended from 20h to 22h, French time. You may be one of the players surprised, this Thursday night, by an impossible connection to GTA Online or Red Dead Online. Rockstar Games' two flagship titles saw their servers shut down for two hours in the evening to support the demonstrations in tribute to George Floyd in the United States. The announcement was made at 6pm (very late, therefore) on the studio's official Twitter account. https://twitter.com/RockstarGames/status/1268573285496823808?s=20
Black Lives Matter. To honor the memory of George Floyd, we will suspend access to GTA Online and Red Dead Online today from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. (local time).
As expected, the announcement did not only make people happy. Especially in Europe, where players usually gather online in the evening. The latter did not generally dispute the message sent by Rockstar Games, but rather its way of doing things. See instead: https://twitter.com/Legeis90/status/1268617021664587776?s=20
"You respect the memory of George Floyd but disrespect your community. I appreciate the intention, but not the action. If you really wanted to pay tribute to George Floyd, you should have done something in the game."
https://twitter.com/PloowzTV/status/1268622094381707264?s=20 https://twitter.com/davekenns/status/1268611361803603968?s=20
"Dear Rockstar… I love your games! Only, I bought them with my money and I think I have the right to play them without being a victim of political interference. If you feel the need to do something, express yourself on social media, but don't involve the players in that."
Any ideas for an in-game tribute?
While most players only expressed their dissatisfaction, others proposed ideas for tributes directly implanted in the game. The one that comes up most often is the organization of an online event (which is more the responsibility of players than developers). However, other more plausible ideas have emerged: the establishment of a special mission to commemorate the event or the creation of a "unique" object for users. This is the first time that players have been directly impacted by this global tribute. Earlier this week, Microsoft and Sony simply spoke on social media, while Square Enix and EA both got their hands dirty to support the racial cause in the United States. As usual, Rockstar Games never does anything like everyone else. For better, or for worse…
