Seven-day early access is the key
Ubisoft has a lot planned forThe Division 2(sorry, “Tom Clancy’s The Division 2”) and some of it involves cosmetic loot boxes.
Those loot boxes (where you may buy individual items if you like) will help fuel a year of “free” ongoing content, which Ubisoft says includes “new campaigns, specializations, game modes and more.” So why is there aSeason Pass? Well, it includes seven-day early access to it all (so you better believe all your top Twitch streamers will have it), as well as extra bounties/quests and “instant access” to specializations. In a looter shooter that sort of stuff is essential so you better believe every hardcore player is buying it.
This isa lotof monetization. The Ultimate Edition, which includes the season pass and some item bonuses, is $120. Then there’s cosmetics. I’m very hopeful thatDivision 2will take what Ubisoft learned from the original and apply it to a new more digestible framework, but so far I’m not into the idea of early access for paid customers on top of a premium game.
