Battle pass

A battle pass is a type of video game monetization that provides additional content for a game usually through a tiered system, rewarding the player with in-game items by playing the game and completing specific challenges. First used in Dota 2 in 2013, the battle pass model gained more use as an alternative to subscription fees and loot boxes beginning in the late 2010s via Fortnite Battle Royale. The Battle Pass is 10 US Dollars.

Concept

The Fortnite Battle Royale battle pass features a dual-track system. The "free" track (top) is free to all players but offers fewer rewards compared to the "premium" track (bottom), which requires payment via microtransactions.

Within a video game, a battle pass may be offered free to a player, or may require the player to purchase it through microtransactions. Once obtained, the battle pass presents the player with a number of reward tiers; by earning enough experience to complete the tier, the player gains the rewards offered at that tier. These rewards are generally cosmetic in nature, such as character and weapon customization options (aka "skins"), emotes, and other non-gameplay affecting elements. More desirable rewards are provided at higher levels, which offer a way for players to show off these unique customization options to other players as a status symbol.[1] Experience is gained through normal gameplay, and often through in-game challenges, while some games offer a way to accelerate progression through a battle pass by using microtransactions.[2] In games that offer both free and paid-for battle passes, the free pass may have a very limited number of tiers, but will track progress of the player's progression through the paid-for battle pass, allowing them to buy that battle pass at any time to reap the rewards.[2][3]

Battle passes and the rewards available are only offered for a limited time, most commonly a few months, after which a new battle pass with a new set of rewards must be acquired.[2] Battle passes may be called different terms depending on the game. For example, Rocket League and PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds offers a "Rocket Pass" and "Event Pass" respectively, while Dota 2 formerly called theirs a "Compendium".[4][5][6]

History

The first game to offer the battle pass concept was Valve Corporation's Dota 2, which had a battle pass in the weeks prior to The International 2013, a part of its annual Dota 2 eSports tournament series. The battle pass, called the "Compendium", provided unique in-game content and other features for those players that purchased it, with 25% of all revenue made from it going towards the prize pool for the event.[2][7] Since, Valve continued to offer battle passes for the game, even introducing a permanent form of one with their "Dota Plus" subscription feature in 2018.[8][9]

The concept of battle passes grew in 2018 with the use in Epic Games's Fortnite Battle Royale, which had been first released in September 2017. The free-to-play Fortnite Battle Royale adopted a "season"-driven release schedule, each season lasting 10 weeks, during which they offered a new set of cosmetic items and emotes. The battle pass approach was added starting in its second season, during a time when the game was seeing a large growth in its player base, and has been used by the game since.[10] Battle passes are purchased through an in-game currency (V-bucks) which either must be purchased with real-world funds via microtransactions, or earned via the Fortnite: Save the World cooperative game mode. Analyst Michael Pachter estimated that on the first day of the third season, in February 2018, Epic sold more than five million battle passes, generating over US$50 million in revenue in a single day.[11] With expansion of Fortnite to mobile devices in March 2018, revenue estimates from the game were in the hundreds of millions of dollars per month in the following months, primarily from battle pass sales.[12]

At the same time as Fortnite was becoming a success, the video game industry had been dealing with the issue of loot boxes, another monetization scheme where players spend funds to open boxes containing a random assortment of in-game items. From November 2017 onward, the use of loot boxes was under scrutiny from the industry and several government-related groups, believing they encouraged gambling, particularly for young players. Battle passes were seen as a preferable option to loot boxes, as players would be able to see all the rewards they could earn, even if they needed to spend a great deal of time completing all the tiers, assuring players continued to play the game. Further, by offering the means for players to buy into completing tiers, publishers could also see additional revenue.[2]

Coupled with the success of battle passes and how they are complimented in Fortnite and the exhaustion over loot box controversies, other publishers started to evaluate battle pass use, with gaming journalists theorizing that games which formerly relied on loot boxes or worked as a service could begin to offer battle passes as a replacement.[2][13]

References

  1. ↑ Jordan, Jon (July 2, 2018). "Why Fortnite's monetisation is easy to copy but its success hard to replicate". Pocket Gamer. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Davenport, James (July 5, 2018). "Battle passes are replacing loot boxes, but they're not necessarily a better deal". PC Gamer. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
  3. ↑ Carter, Chris (March 26, 2018). "Fortnite loot box and Battle Pass beginner's guide". Polygon. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
  4. ↑ Wright, Steven (June 19, 2018). "'Rocket League' Director Talks Rocket Pass, Loot Boxes, Bonuses and Penalties". Variety. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
  5. ↑ Knezevic, Kevin. "PUBG's Fortnite-Style Event Pass Available Today With New Update". Eurogamer. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
  6. ↑ Van Allen, Eric. "How Exactly Does Dota 2 Come Up With Over $20 Million In Prizes For Its Biggest Event?". Kotaku. Archived from the original on July 14, 2017. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  7. ↑ D'Anastasio, Cecilia (June 21, 2018). "Battle Passes Are So Hot Right Now". Kotaku. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  8. ↑ Thursten, Chris (January 26, 2016). "The Winter Battle Pass is Valve's best Dota 2 event yet". PC Gamer. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
  9. ↑ Pereira, Chris. "Valve Overhauls Dota 2 Battle Pass With Subscription-Based Dota Plus". GameSpot. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
  10. ↑ Saed, Sherif (December 15, 2017). "Fortnite Battle Royale gets Dota 2-style Battle Pass, loads of new items". VG247. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  11. ↑ Valentine, Rebekah (May 25, 2018). "Fortnite sold 5 million battle passes on the first day of Season 3". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
  12. ↑ Parker, Jason (May 24, 2018). "Fortnite tallied almost $300 million in April, with no signs of slowing down". CNet. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
  13. ↑ Ashley, Clayton (May 21, 2018). "What Fortnite's Battle Pass gets right". Polygon. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
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