EA's Battlefield series has had a season pass pretty much since season passes were A Thing. But this is 2018, and that old business model has had its time in the sun. And so, EA and DICE are killing the season pass for Battlefield 5.
But of course, you know that's not where this story ends. Something has to replace the season pass, right? So what's it gonna be? To answer that, look no further than the biggest game in the world right now, Fortnite.
If you're not familiar, Fortnite has what is called a Battle Pass. Each season has its own Battle Pass, and each pass contains a series of unique challenges and rewards for completing them. These challenges and rewards vary from season to season. And... yup, that's pretty much exactly what Battlefield 5 is doing, just with different names.
Battlefield 5 calls its live service Tides of War, and this mode will launch a month after the main game's October 19 release date. Instead of a "season," Tides of War will offer players "Chapters" to play through. Each Chapter will be available for two to three months (exact length hasn't been nailed down) and will include themed multiplayer events, co-op missions, and War Stories. Once that Chapter is over though, it's over. No going back and replaying old content - such is the nature of the games as a service model.
Put a bit more simply, Tides of War is like a season pass, but broken up into smaller, more easily digested chunks. If anything, thanks to the limited time aspect, it kind of sounds even more like a traditional TV season, ie. 'Be sure to tune in next week to witness more harrowing adventures of Sergeant Squarejaw McGraw!'
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