gaming Microtransactions vs. Season Passes - Which is WORSE?

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 40,237]

Gaming is becoming quite the peculiar landscape in business. Companies nowadays are trying to find greedier and greedier ways of separating us from our money for less and less content. Two of the big ways that they are doing this now, are with Microtransactions and Season Passes.

 

Microtransactions tend to be for rather useless items in game that don't matter or DO matter and are necessary to even enjoy the game itself. These  tend to cost low amounts but add up over time. A game like Halo 5 has these, allowing ofr quick access to the in-game items for customization, essentially ruining that system.

 

Then there are season passes. Monthly bits of content sprinkled out to extend a game's life, sometimes by cutting content from the base game outright. These essentially raise the price of a game, sometimes doubling the cost, but half of that you will not see for at least 6 months or so. These also sometimes show that a developer is already planning a sequel meaning that the current game is not high on their list of priorities or its quality, but how much money can be made from and how much they can milk it. A game like Star Wars Battlefront, it is a decent game but it has a $50 season pass that essentially cuts the game in half, meaning that the game's full potential on content is lost entirely.

 

Then there are games like Call of Duty Black Ops 3, where Activision has the audacity to have both a $50 season pass AND microtransactions. That is just incredible in a really horrible way. 

 

Now the discussion here, which one do YOU think is worse? 

 

Me personally, I think Season Passes are the biggest plague on gaming currently. They show cut content and often it is charging us for DLC before the actual game is even finished. That is absolutely pathetic and I wish Season Passes would just die. 

[Megas 27,052]

I don't think Season Passes are a bad idea in theory. It's when they're near the same price as the damn game is when it's bullshit(Battlefront, Arkham Knight are just a few examples), or as you said, they cut content out of the base game to sell later and make the base game completely barebones

 

Microtransactions are usually bullshit period, and I usually don't think the game benefits much, if at all, from Microtransactions. ESPECIALLY full-budget AAA titles

Edited February 4, 2016 by Megas

[Riganthor 483]

they both are true evil but I never buy these kinds of things and never will.

[Koukatsu 5,898]

Which are WORSE? Have you not played Destiny recently? Because they have both.

I avoid microtransactions at all times, and I only get a season pass if I'll save money on real content, otherwise I'll just get the DLC I want.

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 40,237]

Which are WORSE? Have you not played Destiny recently? Because they have both.

Another glorious Activision product that exists to exploit gaming to the highest degree. I hate Activision with a passion. 

 

I do think both are bad, but to me, Microtransactions, depending on how they are applied, can be easily ignored. Season Passes tend to have content that feels like it should have been in the game on day 1 and thus it feels like a slap to the face.

[PiratePony 8,473]

*puts in an SNES game that he's been happily playing for 20+ years*

 

Huh? What? 

[Koukatsu 5,898]

*puts in an SNES game that he's been happily playing for 20+ years*

 

Huh? What? 

I still own a backwards compatible PS3 just to play the .hack// series. I've got all 7 games. No DLC, no season pass, and still one of my favorite series' of all time. :v

So, I know the feeling.

[Evilshy 5,089]

It depends on how the microtransactions are handled. Oft times, buying in game currency can be great for people who have more money than time to play (such as myself), and as a way to support the company. I've spent plenty on League and Warframe, and haven't regretted it because I've had so much fun with them (and still do). Sure, microtransactions can be bullshit, but that's a problem with shady devs, not the system itself. Plenty of games have good pay systems.

 

Season Passes suffer the same problems as pre-ordering, that being that you're paying for something before even seeing it and knowing if it'll be worth it to you. That being said, if you play the base game a ton and love it and want more, a Season Pass will probably be worth it. DLC usually isn't that much different from the base game, and while it definitely might not be high quality, at least you have a pretty good idea of what you're going to get out of DLC. Not to mention a Season Pass pretty much guarantees getting all the DLC for cheaper than it'd be to buy them as they come out. Of course, the ease of distributing DLC and people's willingness to buy it makes it easier for devs to release sub par games and then fix them with DLC so you end up paying like $100 for a game (looking at you, Firaxis).

So I think Season Passes are like slightly less bad pre-ordering, and is only worth it for people who really like the base game and will probably want all the DLC anyway.

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 40,237]

It depends on how the microtransactions are handled. Oft times, buying in game currency can be great for people who have more money than time to play (such as myself), and as a way to support the company. I've spent plenty on League and Warframe, and haven't regretted it because I've had so much fun with them (and still do). Sure, microtransactions can be bullshit, but that's a problem with shady devs, not the system itself. Plenty of games have good pay systems.

 

Season Passes suffer the same problems as pre-ordering, that being that you're paying for something before even seeing it and knowing if it'll be worth it to you. That being said, if you play the base game a ton and love it and want more, a Season Pass will probably be worth it. DLC usually isn't that much different from the base game, and while it definitely might not be high quality, at least you have a pretty good idea of what you're going to get out of DLC. Not to mention a Season Pass pretty much guarantees getting all the DLC for cheaper than it'd be to buy them as they come out. Of course, the ease of distributing DLC and people's willingness to buy it makes it easier for devs to release sub par games and then fix them with DLC so you end up paying like $100 for a game (looking at you, Firaxis).

So I think Season Passes are like slightly less bad pre-ordering, and is only worth it for people who really like the base game and will probably want all the DLC anyway.

Well said. While my main post only speaks in a negative light, both of these systems can be done well. I personally think that season passes are done worse more often but I definitely agree with microtransactions if they are done right, I love to support a game I like. Season passes can provide the same opportunity but at a lesser rate in my opinion. 

[Dark Horse 12,798]

I never usually bother with season passes. They basically play off a person's impatience to have all DLC content as soon as it becomes available. The problem here of course is that your essentially paying for something that doesn't even exist yet. It's almost like gambling in a way. You don't know whether the DLC will be good or bad, technically sound or a broken mess. Most of the time they don't even tell you what exactly is planned for the DLC, so what if it turns out to be something you're not personally interested in? I'd always say wait it out and buy the DLC yourself separately. The tiny bit of money you save purchasing the season pass only pays off if you want to buy absolutely everything anyway.

[PiratePony 8,473]

Now for my real answer: If I was the owner of a giant gaming company, here's what I would do:

 

1) Create a great product

2) Release occasional DLC that makes my customers happy

3) Release new high quality games

4) Profit  $$$$$$$$$$

 

I'm not a fan of nickle and diming. However, on the inverse....I suppose they do it, because people pay it. 

[Mr F 1,520]

I understand expansion packs and certain kinds of game changing DLC, but I don't buy microtransactions or season passes anymore.

Most developers strip the base game from content and put a 10-30$ price tag on the content that is supposed to be in there already.

I honestly think there are really few games deserving a 60$ price tag, and no game I have played has deserved a 90$ price tag for the complete game.

It surprises me people still buy these things.

[PoisonClaw 8,153]

Unless it invokes Pay To Win, microtransactions are generally superfluous and can be ignored, save for a few examples off the top of my head where microtransactions were solely shoved in where they didn't belong for no other reason except because other people have made money that way, like in big budget $50+ games like Assassin's Creed or Evolve. Most Free-To-Play games (again, so long as they avoid Pay To Win) are more than acceptable, since how else are they going to make money?

 

Season Passes, on the other hand, are worse because more often than not the game is purposely butchered just to cut content and then sell said content back to you for twice the price of the full game. I'm ok with DLC as long as it's extra content included later, but if you carved up a finished product just to line your pockets with even more money then you're a greedy jerk.  

Edited February 4, 2016 by PoisonClaw

[Magnum Flare 553]

So far, I've only dealt with microtransactions. I've gotta say Season Pass is worse, in terms of content. Usually MT only add a content on top the already many contents of a game. Kind of like a full box and the micro is a smaller box put on top of it. 

 

With SP, the company placed another gate the players needs to pass through after earning the game itself and the players need cash to actually pass through the gate.

 

Some may argue that the cash spent out decides which of the two is worse, but I rather spend money for things that I wanted to get to enhance the experience rather spend money because I have to in order to play the game. 

[King 5,625]

There really does seem to be this huge uprising against any sort of post-purchase transactions no matter what they entail, and honestly its appalling how people act whenever they see they can buy something post launch. People believe that any kind of content that wasn't included in the base price (outside of DLC that comes a year or so after launch) should have been in the initial game in the first place. These people don't understand how game development works.

 

There is absolutely nothing wrong with season passes or micro-transactions so long as they are done well. A season pass is perfectly fine so long as the buyer is getting a decent discount off of the price all the 'seasons' DLC would have been worth in the first place, period.  Micro-transactions are fine so long as what you're buying isn't going to give you a significant boost over players who didn't purchase it, cosmetic items being a good example of this.

 

Seems to me the issue isn't season passes or micro-transactions at all, its the general approach some companies take towards these two avenues for revenue post-launch.

[SomeRetroGeek 110]

I hate them both. Season Pass content should be in the game from Day 1 to begin with, and microtransactions are the bane of my existence. Why the hell would I want to pay money for stuff in the game that's free and the stuff they want me to buy is able to unlock characters and power ups and the like? It's stupid.

[Chara 1,565]

Microtransactions: Really, I hate the purpose of Microtransactions because it takes a lot of the good systems like Customization or Weapons that make the game for fun and relevant to the player. I only purchase Microtransactions from games that I love and can enjoy without them (League of Legends/DotA/CS:GO/Blade and Soul).

 

Season Pass: Now if I told a Call of Duty that they are wasting their money buying these they would freak the Hell out. Season Passes may help you save about 10 or 20 dollars from buying just the DLC alone, but if about 90% of all the people who buy Season Passes (basically almost everyone who plays COD) would stop buying these in terms of low content.

 

I would say that companies such as Activision and EA should be like Bethesda. Make a full game (you cannot tell me that you have done EVERY single little thing in Fallout 4 or Skyrim with just the base game alone) then add on with DLC (Even the DLC keeps you on your seats for HOURS!!!)

[Jon the VGNerd 842]

Both, but microtransactions are significantly worse yet fans are too brainwashed to realize this and they're only bleeding their own money dry just for content that has no significant impact whatsoever. The devs betrayed even to their own longtime fans just for the sake of money and nothing more. DLCs are fine if they have a huge meaning and impact as long as it wasn't overdone (and can be ultimately rectified with GOTY games without having the need to buy DLCs separately). Sooner or later, major gaming companies will be facing massive lawsuits for abusing both season pass and microtransactions to the brink of being filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and cease to exist. If this continues on this year, people will soon start to realize that the more cash they give to devs, the more useless content will be released at exorbitant prices.

 

In all honesty, it can do more harm than good for their personal finances just for the sake of unwanted content that has no meaning other than to bleed their wallets dry.

[Celli 4,332]

I agree with @, Season passes have the potential to be good, but the problem is they usually suck. If you want to do season passes, make the full game available at launch, and add new features afterwards to extend the life of the game, not add stuff that should have been there at launch, like for a FPS, new weapons, maps, a new campaign maybe. Again, though, companies cut stuff at launch and sell it as season passes. Microtransactions are all around just bad, though.

Also, @@Kyoshi, Bungie made the biggest mistake partnering with Activi$ion. They should have just published it themselves, or gotten a better publisher like Valve or something.

Edited February 12, 2016 by Celli

[Shanks 10,811]

I am not exactly a fan of either, I kind of miss the days when you paid for the game once and that was it. I can understand micro transactions for actual bonus content, but the definition of "bonus" content has become rather conveniently expanded to include content that may have otherwise just been in the game anyway. I think this photoshopped pic best exemplifies what I think of this whole thing.

 

 

As for so called "season passes" they can burn in hell.

[AccountNoLongerUsed 741]

Isn't a season pass nothing more than buying all major DLC together for a slightly lesser price? Whats wrong with that?

[Rarity Is Best Pony 634]

I'd say season passes are worse, because they give the developers a reason to cut content from the game to sell to us later. With microtransactions for the most part they are just small cosmetic items that have no effect on the game.

[Megas 27,052]

Isn't a season pass nothing more than buying all major DLC together for a slightly lesser price? Whats wrong with that?

The way both Season passes and DLC is handled is the problem. Like I said, ideally season passes aren't a bad idea: Getting all of the DLC that's gonna come out and save some cash in the long run as opposed to buying it separately. The problem is

 

- A lot of season passes cost the same as the base game, often doubling the price

- DLC itself is often handled poorly, a lot of times it's either something minor like extra weapons, costumes, multiplayer map-packs, and other content that is otherwise better just left in the original game(and in some cases, the DLC is on the disc). It rare for it to actually feel like additional content, and is usually not worth the value

- Sometimes you'll get rare cases of cancelling DLC, like WB not releasing the DLC and cancelling season passes for the Wii U version of Arkham Origins(and keep in mind NINTENDO had to refund everyone and not WB, which is double bullshit)

 

Season passes can work if the devs and publishers can put out enough content that actually justifies the DLC/Season Pass's content, but it rarely, if ever happens

[EpicEnergy 22,066]

Season passes are very annoying to me, so I think they are worse.

[TheRockARooster 47,241]

I’m gonna go with microtransactions as I find them super annoying and unnecessary.

Edited April 26, 2022 by TheRockARooster