Battle pass
A battle pass is a commonly used video game business model in which a player pays to unlock challenges that provide them the opportunity to earn in-game content[1]. New battle passes are released periodically (duration depends on the game), which keeps players returning to the game to complete the current event before it is replaced. They are commonly included in free-to-play games, and some well-known battle passes on computer games include Fortnite, Dota 2 and VALORANT (video game).
Several mobile games, including Hay Day and Lords Mobile have gained additional millions of dollars in revenue from introducing battle pass systems to their games, showing the sustainability of battle passes on mobile games as well[2].
The most common in-game items given to players through battle passes are cosmetics that allow the player to customize their appearance or weapon, animations for their character to perform in game, or in-game currency. Few, if any, battle passes offer actual gameplay advantages other than leveling up characters or battle passes faster after purchase.
References
- ↑ [1] by Daniel Joseph, published to the Journal of Consumer Science in March 2021
- ↑ Season Pass Success Stories by Craig Chapple, published by Sensor Tower in April 2021