Introduction to season passes

A season pass (also known as a battle pass) is a feature introduced by Valve’s Dota 2 back in 2013. Since then, it has become a mainstay in a majority of free-to-play games and even premium multiplayer titles that rely on live operations to sustain player interest. The feature, in its many incarnations, can be found in any genre imaginable, from match-3 puzzle games to competitive online shooters.

Overwatch 2 features a classic, challenge-driven battle pass with a row of linear reward tiers:

Figure 14.6 – Overwatch 2 battle pass

I am sure you have encountered it before, but essentially, a season pass could be classified as a large-scale, in-game event that is built into the core gameplay loop, where players are usually presented with one to three (but typically two) reward tracks that function similarly to a totalizer discussed previously. Players have a set amount of time (this could be weeks or months) to...