Whatever game disc you currently have lodged in your console, chances are, there’s a season pass to go along with it. Glancing over at the PlayStation 4 on the other side of my desk, currently it’s holding a game that can be described as one huge glorified season pass. Of course, I’m referring to Destiny, but as I pull open a drawer to scan the other PS4 titles in my possession, there’s a similar story to be told. From expansive RPGs like The Witcher III to smaller titles like The Evil Within, it’s become a pervasive trend in the modern gaming landscape and one that draws a divisive reaction.
One of the main concerns with season passes, and with DLC in general, is studios extracting content from their games, bundling it up and drip feeding it to fans post-launch. However, given how their offerings are usually spread over the course of several months, this argument has lost some of its punch. Still, in some cases, this re-portioning of content is quite apparent. It’s out of principle, then, that Dave avoids games that adopt such a practice. For him, a season pass needs to offer something that feels akin to genuine expansion.
Therefore, the biggest problem most consumers have with season passes is whether or not they’re getting value for money. In fairness, a lot of publishers are upfront about what you can expect from this pre-emptive purchasing of content. However, there are also those that fail to outline exactly what it is you are getting or when you’ll get it. Then there’s the issue of whether this content is actually worth the down payment. When it comes to DLC, even the best developers can get it wrong from time to time so you can see why many hesitate from making such a financial leap of faith.
After all, as Tuffcub points out, season passes can price anywhere between a tenner and twenty five quid. To some gamers that’s not much, but without all the facts, it becomes hard to gage whether we’re getting the most bang for our buck. Using Fallout 4 as an example, Tuffcub seems to be enjoying the game enough to fork out on additional content, yet the lack of concrete information surrounding Bethesda’s future plans for the game presents a roadblock.
That said, when it comes to huge franchises like Fallout 4, there will always be a sizeable number of fans who pick up the season pass without batting an eyelid. This is exactly what happened to me and Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception. Having fallen hopelessly in love with its predecessor, I threw £20 at the season pass as soon as it went live on the PlayStation Store. Aside from seeing it as an act of brand loyalty, I also saw it as an opportunity to save a few pennies. You see, although we call the value of these passes into question, some offer much better rates on DLC bundles as opposed to buying each pack individually. Still, prior to the launch of Uncharted 3’s map packs, I had no idea whether I’d made a good investment and that worried me. The same, as Kris points out, applies to pre-ordering games as well – even with copious amounts of pre-release info, at the end of the day we’re still making decisions largely based on predictions.
Thankfully, not all games have time-limited passes. For DriveClub, as with most current-gen titles, the season pass can be purchased well after a game’s launch. In fact, DriveClub’s chunky season pass was the second one I ever purchased. Dom picked it up too, praising it as one of the better passes out there. As he explains it, the content offered should also feel like an add-on or bonus. If you’ve just purchased the latest online shooter, for instance, you shouldn’t compelled to buy the season pass out of pure necessity. Although my opinion differs, many felt this way about Star Wars Battlefront and it’s fairly spartan array of content at launch.
Perhaps even more egregious than this was last year’s Evolve, as Aran recalls. Despite being propped up by a sound premise and sharp gameplay, 2K Games arguably shot itself in the foot before Evolve could even get out of the blocks. From the word go the publisher began an aggressive campaign to promote the game’s season pass, seemingly ignoring complaints that Evolve’s stock content didn’t quite fit the bill.
That said, we can’t tarnish every season pass with the same brush. As previously mentioned, Evolution has done a stand-up job with its content plan for DriveClub with other big titles no doubt living up to their post-launch promises as well. It’s just a shame that when developers crack the season pass formula this largely goes largely unnoticed. As Teflon argues, Dying Light is starting to look like another promising candidate. Although we’ve know about the game’s season pass for a long time, its chief slab of post-launch content “The Following” will launch next month, more than a year after its original release. When done right, he goes on to say, season passes can line up a series of mini events for your collection of favourite games, whether it’s just a new map pack or a full-on expansion.
So there we go, we’ve had our say on season passes. Are you particularly keen on the concept, yourself? If not then why? Which season passes have you purchased and did you find it good value for money? Let us know in the comments section below!
kjkg
Weirdly I’ve really only just started recently purchasing them. Bought Batman which was OK value for money and then Dying Light which looks to be unreal value for money.
However, both of these were not purchased immediately as I wanted to make sure that a) I enjoyed the game and b) initial rumours suggested the DLC would be of decent standard.
Avenger
If a game is good enough it’ll warrant a season pass purchase. Then again with games like Battlefield I’ve never bought a pass mainly because is good enough by itself. I guess it depends on my love for the game.
One of the off-putting things about the passes is the price. Sometimes they cost the same as the game itself, give less, and even worst they rarely depreciate. If I buy an older CoD game for a tenner, the season pass usually costs three times that and can’t be found on a deal. Not to mention that if I do buy a season pass, a GoTY edition might come along for better value and miff me.
I wish they’d do more bundles like the Ghosts hardened edition or Taken King to begin with, might help as a compromise.
gazzagb
I’ve only bought a couple of Call of Duty ones when I knew I’d get my money’s worth out of the map packs. But since then, I haven’t bought any as they rarely offer good value to me.
Often it’s a case of spend £30 to save £5, but I prefer to just save the 30!
zb100
I generally don’t bother though I did splash out on the SW: Battlefront one thinking it would give me early access to Jakku. Doh!
Andrewww
Usually I get more than enough content with the game itself, but sometimes that’s the GOTY edition, as I don’t often play games from day one but later on. By then, it is also very clear what’s included in the season pass.
For some games I did buy the season pass recently, as it worked out cheaper that way (e.g. Driveclub), or the game was just so fantastic that I couldn’t get enough of it (e.g. Alien:Isolation).
Crazy_Del
I get season pass from Collectibles edition that would cost £85-£120 and I never buy a season pass for just a standard game.
But I will get DLC or a season pass (when it is cheap) because I love Mortal Kombat and a huge fan of Jason, Alien and Predator.
a inferior race
I generally don’t buy dlc as I normally buy games a year or so after release the dlc can be the same price which then doesn’t seem like good value for money.
scavenga
Totally depends. I buy season pass if it’s a game I KNOW I’m gonna like, and if I know that there will be single player content. I’ve never purchased season pass for multiplayer maps.
Also, sometimes I buy Season pass straightaway, but for the most part I wait for a good deal on the PSN Store.
ron_mcphatty
I’d never buy a season pass with a preorder, never. I just don’t want to pay for something unless I’m in some way satisfied that it’s gonna be worth the money. Sometimes though the volume of content is astounding and I genuinely feel guilty for buying the Driveclub season pass for only a fiver, it’s clear that there’s easily £20 worth of racing in there. But then, only in retrospect.
blast71
Driveclub is well-worth the money as you say, best dlc I’ve bought in years.
hornet1990
I’ll get the odd one, particularly if it’s on sale but I generally don’t make a habit of it, and would certainly never pay more than £20 for one. I do wonder how people get duped into pre-ordering/paying £40+ for a game and £30+ for a season pass… then complain when the game launches in a broken state or is not as enjoyable as they thought it’d be etc (BF4 and Destiny spring to mind judging by forum complaints)
This gen I think I’ve only bought 3 – Battlefield 4 on offer for £11 when individual packs are about £7 which made it a bargain; COD Ghosts for the Extinction maps, again about a tenner (worth every penny just for that), and DriveClub for about £18 IIRC which has been the best value for money DLC ever given the hours and extra content I’ve gotten out of it!
What I would like to see is an extension to the typical season pass run time, so instead of packing it all into a year let the season pass run for much longer so if you don’t move on to the next iteration (COD) or just enjoy a game and want to keep enjoying new additions for longer then you can.
beeje13
That probably won’t happen as the publishers want you to buy the next iteration (and a season pass will be available).
hornet1990
Assuming they stick to the same business model then yes, but who says they have to? Whatever happened to building and maintaining a community around a game that lasts for more than a year?
Take COD for example, not everyone likes the fast movement jumping shite, so why not stagger releases so they release a modern/historical title, then support it with DLC for the next couple of years whilst at the same time release a future title and do the same for that. If you want to buy both you will, if you only like the one play style then you’ll buy that and the season pass for the DLC. If you were never going to buy the other play style anyway then the publisher hasn’t lost anything, but they have got your game+season pass from the other and kept you engaged until the next iteration of the play style you do like rather than going off elsewhere.
But you’re right, sadly it’s all about making money for the shareholders and what’s good for the industry or the health of the franchise they’re milking are minor considerations :(