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Rockstar Compensating GTA Online Players With A Stimulus Package
The launch of Grand Theft Auto Online was rocky. The servers buckled under the weight of a billion dollars worth of sales all flooding in at once. Players lost characters, progress, cars, properties, and cash. In short, it was the fall of 2008 all over again.
Rockstar is going to make it up to you. As long as you've played GTA Online during the month of October and download patch 1.04 (expected next week), you'll be eligible for $500,000 of in-game money.
In order to maintain the economic balance, Rockstar will be making two deposits of $250,000 each. The timing isn't confirmed yet, but there will be announcements on the Rockstar Newswire when they hit. The first is anticipated at the end of next week.
Patch 1.04 is expected to be the last fix to ensure that game progress isn't lost. Unfortunately, for those who have already lost progress, there isn't good news. "For those asking about their lost characters or rank, those will not be able to be restored so we sincerely hope that this cash stimulus we’re giving out this month will help you get back on your feet or to make your new life in Los Santos & Blaine extra sweet," Rockstar states.
[Source: Rockstar Newswire]
Our Take
This is becoming the cycle of major online launches. Players begin game, something goes wrong, company apologizes and works around the clock to implement fixes, players continue to voice their anger, problem gets fixed, company gives out a make-right.
This won't replace lost characters and progress, but hopefully it helps ease the pain a bit. Even if you wait until patch 1.04 to start playing, you'll still be eligible for the GTA$, too. It's not perfect, but it's something.
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