This Is How Much Money You’d Spend if You Bought Every 2015 Season Pass

While several of the big releases this year such as Halo 5 and Bloodborne hit shelves without the added expense of a season pass, many other major titles gave customers the option. So just how much money could fly from your wallet in 2015 for this additional content?

[itsjustexuma]

The only Season Passes I've purchases this year are Batman Arkham Kinght and Fallout 4 season passes

[OC_MurphysLaw]

I pulled the trigger on The Witcher 3 and Rise of the Tomb Raider. The key for them for me was the promise of more single player content not multiplayer map packs.

[jb227]

The Tomb Raider decision was an odd one then because there is only one single sp dlc in the form of the Witch tomb...the rest is mp & challenge stuff...they detailed it all when they announced it...you probably could've saved $15-20 bucks just waiting for the actual content to release.

[InactiveUser]

I've never purchased a season pass and don't plan on ever buying one. It's a rip-off. Now you're expected to pay $110 for a full game instead of $60. F 'em, I'll wait until the complete edition is ~$15.

[conanlifts]

The Witcher 3 season pass is probably the best around. I loved the first pass, I have played shorter games than the first expansion. I am considering the fallout pass too, but not sure what they are including yet.

[Player3Podcast]

Legitimate curiosity about Batman, how nervous were you purchasing it when they hadn't revealed the details? And was it worth it in the end?

[itsjustexuma]

I wasn't nervous I kinda trusted Rocksteady because they did the last two games right and it really wasn't worth it because instead of giving the players more story content they just kept releasing short story missions and a lot of those challenge add ons

[PX54]

The only season pass I bought this year (and ever) was Arkham Knight, and that's only because I got the game including the season pass for just £25 at launch.

[Jmanzare]

@eejlp
Its not a rip off if you plan on getting them all anyway, you usually get a discounted price for purchasing them ahead of time.

[Thom9434]

I've never bought a season pass. Screw that.

[PizzaSteve]

Yeah me neither. Too bad others fail for the trap.

[jb227]

No doubt...it's a lot easier for me because I don't play mp, so I just wait until they actually release any sp content & buy it piecemeal....there's typically only one sp component for every $20-50 dollar season pass, & I get it for 10 bucks if it reviews decently enough or if I just dig the game enough not to worry about impressions.

[nitus10]

But, but, but you get really good value for season passes. You get??? ...?? ...? err! a few extra maps if you are lucky, some extra weapon skins, clothing skins and maybe if you have been a good boy/girl extra quests which you could have brought later as an expansion or DLC anyway. ... err!

Yep Thom9434 had it right first time "Screw that".

[nix]

I also never buy.. But Driveclub n Bloodborne are two games for which I've bought DLC/extensions.

[GordonKnight]

@ PizzaSteve

You really should thank the people that purchase DLC. DLC is how companies make these huge budget games and still turn a profit. If it wasn't for the people who purchase DLC, games would cost $100 at launch instead of $60.

[mike32UK]

Ditto!

[conanlifts]

Depends on the pass. The Witcher 3 pass includes 2 expansions, the first being 10 hours long, the second most likely double that. That's more gameplay than most games offer to begin with.

But yes most are worthless and a rip off.

[MrCrimson]

I bought COD Elite way back in the day, that was the last and only time.

[DanielEndurance]

Picked up Syndicate's & Black Ops III's season passes this year... Might get Siege's too.
There's probably going to be 25% more season passes next year at this rate.

[Player3Podcast]

I think we are going to see a lot of people migrate towards the microtransaction model like Halo 5.

[Slevon]

I hope so, I handle people being able to buy cosmetic items in game while i can still earn them to get free maps/updates.

[USMC_POLICE]

Did you see what's in sieges pass? Almost nothing

[Crispyleeks]

Witcher 3 and Fallout 4. I played it safe but damn I have no regrets with Witcher. By the sounds of Fallout 4's season pass I won't get burned by that either.

[Player3Podcast]

The Witcher 3 seemed like the best value for the money!

[wheatley]

I bought the same. Fallout games have done well with their expansions before, and the Witcher team's philosophy on DLC meant I could trust them from the outset.

[Jmanzare]

Me too. Bethesda always does dlc right.. Besides horse armor

[JOKERACN7]

Videogames are already expensive, can't afford season passes tbh ...
Good Expansion Packs like The Witcher 3's worth it tho.

[_-EDMIX-_]

Video games are actually factually less money now then 10 years ago.

Expansion packs are like games, they are "Good" based on subjectivity of the end user. Some where to some gamer, a season pass is "worth it" if you spent 500 hours in BF4, you might say its season pass was worth it.

I didn't get BF4's season pass due to only playing 200 hours in it which is light for me on the BF scale, but lots of titles in 2014 and 2015 kept lots of my time, I put that 200 in MOST of it around PS4's launch, but during 2014 played and focused on other titles.

It depends, if I played more of it and seeked to continue long term like in other BFs, I might have bought the season pass and put another 400 or so hours in it as even 100 extra hours to me for $50 is more then worth it.

Consider again, we factually due to inflation have cheaper games now then years before and are in a medium that is the most value worthy out of any other. How many times will you watch a film? But for $20 or so you might get it on Bluray, DVD etc and I'm not putting you on spending 100 hours watching it over and over in 6 months to a year lol.

Nothing is wrong with season passes in terms of price anymore then the prices of games. The user really defines what that is to themselves more so.

The value of The Witcher 3 to you, might differ then other gamers, consider that also applies to season passes or any post launch content.

[whitesoxfalife1976]

good comment.

[ShottyGibs]

You're not wrong. But people have less disposable income than 10 years ago. Tax, rate increases and the cost of living have far outpaced wage increases year on year.

Not only that, if you're in living in the US (I'm not) as the majority of posters here are, you guys currently have 0.25% interest rates for years (post 08 crash) and are looking at possible negative interest rates in the very near future. But I digress. I doubt they are going to reduce the cost of games based on this. Do you?

[Tankbusta40]

Will people stop this inflation garbage? Salaries have not crazily gone up with inflation so it's a non argument. Ten years ago the minimum wage was still the same and if you were making 25 dollars an hour it didn't increase to 35

[_-EDMIX-_]

@Shotty- "I doubt they are going to reduce the cost of games based on this. Do you?" No, that is likely not going to happen they are more likely going to raise it them lower it.

"But people have less disposable income than 10 years ago. Tax"

I just don't see any evidence to support much of this, if someone games, they will find the income. The reality is, for 10 years, we've had games for $60.

http://kotaku.com/36-years-...

and

http://www.ign.com/articles...

and

http://arstechnica.com/gami...

@Tank- Because economical facts... The reality is, games have cost $60 for 10 years whole over all costing more to create, the top most expensive games made of all time where made in the last 10 years. Mind you, that is merely the ones that even report their cost to the public, consider Konmai didn't regarding MGSV and reports of 80 million are rumored, but over the course of 7 years development, with inflation its actually around 100 million.

So they made 170 million on MGSV, they could use that 100 million to pay back their loan, a couple million more in interest and might be left with 70 or 60 million, its not enough to make another MGS, they even made comments regarding they would need finical support for the next MGS game.

Games have hit RECORD sales, yet have also cost MORE yet made less due to inflation. Its not a subjective idea, its a factual one. You can actually look that up. I'm buying MORE games now, then 10 years ago.

http://www.usinflationcalcu...

Mind you, with the cost of gaming to develop, I would wage its really around $100 per game for them to get a respectable profit to create a second title. Many need to factor its not about JUST breaking even, they have operating cost and most times need to pay back loans for a huge project on top of interest.

[Muzikguy]

You post a great comment Edmix. I have to agree with Shotty and Tank though. Yes games haven't gone up in price over the last decade. Everything else has though. Not only that, healthcare (at least in the US) has almost doubled too. They can tout all they want to about the prices, but the fact is to many of us, they're still high. That's why things like Gamefly exist. Games on the cheap. Can even buy them cheap from them. I got Shadows of Mordor for $15 and Dragon Age Inquisition for $12 ^_^

I'd have gladly bought them both new, but I can't afford to pay $60 for every game out there that interest me. And for the record I'd rather buy at GF than GameStop because they don't put all those stupid stickers on the cases. Had wages increased with cost of living I'm sure people would be spending more on full priced games

Edit: I also just want to say that if Konami did make $60 or $70 million profit that's more than enough to make the next game. Unless they don't think they'd make the $30 to $40 million dollars needed to cover just the cost. Of course, they'd make more than that and still turn a profit. It's not like they're making multiple MGS style games each year that cost $100+mil to make :)

And in all fairness, I wouldn't feel sorry for Konami anyway

[_-EDMIX-_]

@ Miz- "I'd have gladly bought them both new, but I can't afford to pay $60 for every game out there that interest me"

That sounds more like specific situation. The reality is, we have games that broke records in sales year over year and the evidence of high sales don't support the idea that they are too expensive, it states just the opposite.

"but the fact is to many of us, they're still high"

Nope. What do you have to support that idea though? Again...consider the records Fallout 4 just broke.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wi...

Now...consider MOST of the all time list has happened in the last 10 years of the best selling.

GTAV a perfect example, full price, 54 million units.

The reality is, you might be in a situation where you can't afford full price most times, that fine, but thats also situational. The reality is, the facts surrounding current game sales don't support that "most" can't afford it.

PS4 just hit 30 million units...again...we have more money to buy such things then 10 years prior. Consider both PS4 and XONE are hitting record sales.

" I also just want to say that if Konami did make $60 or $70 million profit that's more than enough to make the next game"

It is if you consider they could just use the same engine to save cost. The point is if the wanted to make another MGS using a new engine and need to spend another 80 to 100 million, they would be unable to without taking deep loans. Could they, yes....does it make sense given the high production quality? Maybe not. Its the reality that they can't even with millions of units due to the price saying the same.

"And in all fairness, I wouldn't feel sorry for Konami anyway" irrelevant, merely using an example of a AAA game in terms of profit and development cost. Though I feel the needed to assess their cost and have DLC to make up that cost if they want to get a bigger profit, I'm merely pointing out that they even need to do that if they wish to make another game for 100 million.

Consider....they need to do that JUST to make another game using 100 million.

Record sales of games show MORE are buying games then in any time ever in gaming. Yet we are still paying the same price since 10 years ago. We either need to raise the base price of games to $80 or $100 or get use to DLC and Seasons passes. We can't go another 10 years with games at $60 without either happening.

[Muzikguy]

@Edmix

I get what you're saying but I think you're only looking at half the scenario. Yes, games break records. Yes, year over year they sell and sell more. That doesn't mean people are happy with the cost of are willing to keep paying it. Look at the series that break records. They're all the same and have been for a long time. Not only that, they're released on like 10 different platforms (exaggerated). You also have to account for a growing gaming user base. When you factor all that in, the records aren't really saying much. Even more so when things that sell millions are still considered failures (which I don't exactly agree with, but financially is a different story)

I do see games going up in the future but other things need to happen as well. Gwmes are supposed to be getting easier with the PC based stuff and everything so I'm not really seeing that as a viable excuse. When companies hold certain games in limbo for so long (like versus13) that's their fault not mine or yours. And Konami makes tons of money off mobile games to more than make up for one big AAA game if they wanted to do that. I can't tell a company how to manage their money :)

[_-EDMIX-_]

@Miz- "Yes, year over year they sell and sell more. That doesn't mean people are happy with the cost of are willing to keep paying it"

?

I'm sorry but this is where a number shows otherwise. They like it enough to buy games at record numbers, I get many want things for free, but real market value is not based on if you want, its based on what people for a mater of fact will spend on a game. Those records show most will, of course a few want to pay nothing for games and want them all for free, but that isn't being debated. Its based on the majority, not a few. Could that not apply regardless of the price of games? Do people not steal even items that are at low cost? Someone not agreeing with the price really has nothing to do with its real market value.

Record sales again show otherwise.

"Konami makes tons of money off mobile games to more than make up for one big AAA game if they wanted to do that. I can't tell a company how to manage their money :)"

I don't disagree with that all at, but we are saying yes or no to what is being offered. If we feel the price isn't worth the product due to price being based on the companies shortcomings, we are free to not buy the title.

Don't disagree with that either as the market is based on consumer choice.

[UserNameIsNotTaken]

The only season passes that were worth it for me : Battlefield 4 & Driveclub.

[madcowzz]

Fully agree with Driveclub. The amount of post-release content that has been honored through the season pass is enough to keep me busy for a very long time. Not to mention the affordability of the Bikes expansion as well

[Spotie]

I haven't bought a season pass ever, but if I did, DriveClub is the only one I'd get at this point.

[crazychris4124]

I didn't buy any. Just gonna wait for price drops on DLC for games I own or complete editions if I don't have the game.

[Aloy-Boyfriend]

Witcher 3 only, and No more

[zdkapl]

I got the gold edition of AC Syndicate, at Best Buy, so 20% off with GCU. I like Assassin's Creed more than I would like to admit.

[Dirtnapstor]

Plus the $10 rewards!
I'm doing the same for The Division. Essentially makes the season pass free!
I'm really hoping there's a package similar for Ghost Recon Wildlands...I'm really looking forward to that one! Promising.

[zdkapl]

I completely forgot there is a new Ghost Recon...

[EcoSos3]

I have bought none of them because I know most will get "game of the year" edition next year.

[Jmanzare]

For certain games I can't wait an entire year but for others I definitely can

[StormLegend]

I've never bought a season pass before.

I might do it with B03, but that's it.

[whitesoxfalife1976]

bought MK and Forza season pass. Lego Batman 3(due to the sale from xbox live) most likely will get the R.O.T.R. pass once i get the game.

[yuukiliu]

The only DLC I bought this year was for Fire Emblems Fate. ¥9000(¥5000 for base game, ¥2000 for the other storylines) for all 3 stories rather than ¥8990 for the two hard copies plus ¥2000 for the digital only 3rd story. After having beaten the first story in 50 hours and all 3 stories have the exact same amount of content I am looking at 150 hours. Well worth it IMO.

[Skate-AK]

I have bought a couple season passes but I have never paid full price for one. Always buy them on sale.

[USMC_POLICE]

Fallout witcher and star wars for me

[GordonKnight]

Star Wars shouldn't have been a DLC. The game should've just cost $100 at launch. Star Wars battlefront is the perfect example of what is wrong with DLC and how companies are using it to make games cost more to turn a profit.

[USMC_POLICE]

I honestly am one of the few that thinks there is plenty of content and maps currently in the game, I also am huge into battlefield and know they always kill it in the add on DLC department in a good way. I think R6 season pass is way more a case of abuse than Star Wars season pass.

[GordonKnight]

That's the problem the DLC has more content than the standard game edition. This game could have been the perfect game to launch at $99 with all DLC included. The Star Wars hype is huge and people would still purchase it at that price.

[franwex]

I've never bought one. Last time I bought an expansion was Fallout 3, or maybe Battlefield Bad Company 2. If I buy an expansion I'll do it separately; I never buy all of them. I cannot commit.

[magiciandude]

Good thing I never buy season passes. The base game costs too much money in most cases as it is...

[nitus10]

The only games that i brought that had expansions and included DLC were Skyrim the Legendary Edition and Dragons Dogma Dark Arisen. Both of theses games were well worth the money (especially Skyrim) I spent on them which to be honest was not allot since I got them brand new on special anyway.

[DivineAssault]

I never buy season passes.. By the time the content is released, ive moved on to a different game.. In the rare instances where that doesnt happen, ill buy a DLC pack if its good.. I dont have as much time as i used to have and theres very few games good enough for me to want the extra content.. The first and last season pass i bought was for MKX and by the time predator released, i didnt care to play anymore and was on the witcher.. I remember feeling so burned spending $80 for the game with characters i paid for but couldnt even use yet..

[sullynathan]

I see no reason to buy season passes.
I'll just wait till the "Definitive edition" or GOTY edition releases with all the DLC and patches already in. If the game is multiplayer and it still has enough players after that time period then it will show that it is a success.

[Dirtnapstor]

I'm picky about which season passes I invest in. Battlefield(s) for me are a definite. The only one I regret is COD Ghosts. Totally sucked. Made me gunshy in general for that series. Patiently waiting on a deal for the Witcher 3 expansion.

[Mike04]

I never get the point of buying a season pass, developers are just chopping their games and selling it little by little..bs practice that some fall into.

And why do they call it "season" again?? Lmao

[Psychotica]

I suppose you only buy plain cheese pizza?

[slappy508]

Arkham Knight was the only season pass I got, got the full game and season pass from G2A for $35. Pretty good deal for all the DLC i see popping up in my game so far (still need to play through it)
I did buy The Witcher 3's first expansion, IMO worth it

[xwilldemise]

Well you got those that are not worth it such as Arkham Knight & Battlefront( doesn't matter if you're a fan, $50 isn't justifiable) but you also got those that are worth it such as the Witcher & Fallout 3.

Heck, I just bought both season passes today alongside Bloodbornes expansion using a 20% PS Store coupon that came with my system that I never used. Quite frankly, I know Witchers is worth it, & Fallout 4 DLC will be worth it seeing how I loved Fallout 3's DLC packs.

[AidenPearce]

The only season pass I've bought this year is TW3, and the first expansion makes it clear that it was worth it.

Debated getting the one for Arkham Knight, so damn glad I didn't.

[Artemidorus]

Don't understand gamers of today, they will spend money to get 'cheats' or more money on season passes.

It's hard for someone like me for years and years use to buy a disc and get full content only now to be told I got to spend large amounts for something so basic.

MGS V is the only example that provides decent content. Many free missions, free online multiplayer, free single player online missions.

I will not continue to buy many new games until discounted so the added season pass warrants it's purchase.

[madmonkey01]

only season pass i have ever bought was driveclub.

[rezzah]

Of all the season passes, the best one in terms of value was and is Driveclub's season pass.

It was around $25 for about $75 worth of DLC.

Currently you can get both the game and season pass for $20 on PSN.

[Bluemaster77]

We need to do ourselves a favor as gamers and refrain from purchasing these passes. It just tells developers we're ok with them half delivering content on initial launches.

[masterfox]

never bought a season pass never will be.

[Kombatologist]

It's simple economics. Video games are one of the few commodities that haven't gone up in price over the last 30 years. A US$60 video game in 1985 would cost US$132.62 in today's money after inflation, yet we're still paying US$60 for a core game. As much as we all like to rag on DLC (especially on day one), it's a necessary evil as production costs continue to rise. Just be glad you're given the choice to invest more in a game if you enjoy it enough rather than paying US$132 straight up.

If you're a cheapskate, you can always wait a year for the GOTY edition.

[WikusVanDeMerwe]

My pay hasn't kept up with inflation though. Does that still make me a cheapskate?

[Ark_]

In 1985 you wouldn't sell 10 million copies of a game. Just sayin' ...
And it's not like any of the big publishers can't afford to turn on the heating in winter.

On another note: What's so bothering about the season passes to me, that you pay upfront without knowing what (quality) you will get for your money. Why not realease a quality and FULL gaming experience and then - when the love for the game is high and demand is there - work on an expansion. That's how it used to be and it worked pretty well.

[Tankbusta40]

Another inflation idiot... When you use terms like simple economics and completely ignore that wages have no increased to match anything your argument falls on deaf ears

[Kombatologist]

@WikusVanDeMerwe

Do you think you're the only one who has to live within your means? Things like food, water, electricity, automobiles, and gas have all skyrocketed in price since 1985, so I don't see the point of whining about DLC when a core game still costs the same as it did 30 years ago, despite the increase of production costs. Unlike the aforementioned, video games are just a hobby.

@Ark_

Gaming wasn't as popular in 1985 as it is now. Furthermore, Super Mario Bros. for the NES has sold over 40 million copies to date, which held the record as of 2004 (I'm not entirely sure when it was dethroned, but that's still impressive). Just saying.

@Tankbusta40

Oh, look, another N4Ger with nothing remotely intelligent to add. Like I mentioned above, everything has skyrocketed in price over the last 30 years, except video games. Why is that so hard to understand? If you can't afford a video game now, then you might want to think about getting a better job.

I'm not disputing the fact that the video game industry has some shady practices. But the reality is we're actually paying less for games now than we were 30 years ago. Nobody is forcing us to buy DLC upfront, on day one, nor is it hard to wait and see what we're getting before making any decisions. It's called being a smart consumer.

[wheatley]

I only bought Destiny once the game was released at £40 with the three expansions. I would have sorely disappointed with the game's content if I had bought the vanilla edition..

[Tzuno]

736$ ??? eh ok how about this https://pcpartpicker.com/us... Yeah i know.

[GMW]

Driveclub! Redefines what a season pass should give. E.g lots of content and support!!

https://youtu.be/itEzIiWgnO...

[jznrpg]

I have not purchased a season pass , but Fallout 4 is tempting, they usually drop 4 dlc packs.

[Meatyboy]

I bought the halo 5 season pass for $0

[Rhythmattic]

Im the guy that publishers hate.....
Never , ever have I bought a season pass...
Then again, Sometimes I don't even buy the game due to lack of content...
@@ (looking at you EA)

[brokenbracket]

I've never said I hate DLC, because it's obviously the money grab option that devs give to consumers, while providing them with a little extra cash for sequels and such. What I dislike, very strongly, is overpriced DLC. I personally won't pay over $30 for DLC/Expansions/Season Passes. And if the original game is big enough, ie. The Witcher 3, Fallout 4, I won't even bother with DLC. So many games start to come out after a year or two of a new system being out, you're changing games every six months. But kudos to those who do purchase DLC.

[gangsta_red]

Bought a season pass for Borderland the Pre-sequel and it was one of the worse investments ever. Never again will I buy a season pass.

[InTheZoneAC]

I will gladly buy season passes for Battlefront and Battlefield. Why? Because it practically doubles or more the multiplayer content, stuff that isn't locked on disc because it hasn't been made yet...

[PS4XBOXONEPC]

only season pass i would get is fallout 4,dying light,the witcher3.

[P_Bomb]

Last season pass I bought was for Bioshock Infinite a couple years ago. $19 I believe? That was a good one as the two part return to rapture wound up being the true ending to infinite and the beginning of Bioshock 1. Kind of essential. I had more fun with clash in the clouds than I expected, too.

[Miraak82]

Never bought a season pass either , I usually try and steer clear of games that support those kinda of practices. It's very rare also that I buy dlc except for a few exceptions like LBP , WarHawk, Killzone 2 and the skyrim expansions on ps3

This console gen I really haven't bought any dlc for any game I've played , thinking about getting the BloodBorne expansion though , full on expansion for 20 bucks can't got wrong with that .

Any add-on should make a game feel like it enhances it NOT complete it

[Gaming4Life1981]

I honestly dont buy season passes unless the content is fully detailed. I am on the fence about dlc period though and I usually only buy dlc for bethesda and battlefield games because they are always worth it. Day one dlc or dlc that is to close to the release date is a big no for me.

Downloadable content should be created after the base game is out not during development. Developers can trick some gamers by saying that it was already planned but if it was then why couldnt it have been added to the game? I can accept a game being pushed back to add more content.

Someone said that games used to cost more than they do now and he was actually right. I paid $80 for street fighter 2(snes) when it first came out and it was hard to find for a while. $60 is my price point for gaming and hopefully it will not go above that cause i will not pay more than that for any game.

Steam is having a great sale right now, Game On

[BuildTheWall]

I purchased season passes for Witcher3 , Batman Arkham Knight , Assassins Creed Syndicate & Fallout 4. I'm a BestBuy gamers club unlocked member & get 20% off of all new game purchases & bought the season passes for Batman & Witcher3 at a BestBuy store I usually refuse to shop at. They had a typo in an ad in a local newspaper advertising $10.00 season passes.

[BuildTheWall]

Got the Fallout 4 Pip-Boy Edition for my birthday & used some of the money I received from my grandparents to buy season passes for Assassin's Creed Syndicate & Fallout 4.