The road to Star Wars: Battlefront's launch has been a tumultuous one. What first began as a seemingly endless wave of hype quickly turned into accusations of cut content and missing modes ... and once people got to play it, the hype train started rolling again. Following an incredibly successful beta, it seemed as if EA had finally managed to put the naysayers in their place—and then the publisher announced a DLC plan that cost almost as much as the core game itself.
At $50, Star Wars: Battlefront's Season Pass is only $10 less than an actual copy of Star Wars: Battlefront, and it's no secret that fans were (and still are) angry about the price. EA and Dice didn't necessarily help the situation, either: for whatever reason, the developer was extremely tight-lipped on exactly what the Season Pass would actually contain. For many, it felt as if EA was asking fans to essentially pay for the same game twice with no real idea of what they'd be getting.
Now, just two days before the game hits store shelves, EA has finally revealed exactly what Season Pass owners can expect to play—and, while there's actually quite a bit of content included, anyone who was worried about a lack of content on Day One might still be a bit skeptical ....
First and foremost, the Battlefront Season Pass will essentially double the content that the game is launching with. The largest piece of the DLC plan are the 16 new multiplayer maps, split across a number of new planets (not including the free Battle of Jakku map). Details for the maps are predictably vague, and the same thing goes for the Season Pass' four new gameplay modes. A set of four new Hero characters will also make their way into the Season Pass, and a set of 20 new customization items round out the DLC's offerings.
Again, it's a pretty robust lineup of content: most games don't see that kind of post-launch support, and the idea of Season Pass holders getting access two weeks earlier than everyone else is a nice incentive.
That being said, earlier concerns of EA holding content back for DLC suddenly seem viable again. Granted, there's no way for fans to know if any of the Season Pass' content is done already, or if Dice has started working on any of it—even so, it's a lot to ask gamers to essentially buy the same game twice, especially when it isn't even out yet. While it's a bit much to accuse EA of intentionally cutting modes out of the game to use as DLC, it's easy to see where the criticism is coming from.
Season pass or not, Star Wars: Battlefront is set to launch on Nov. 17.
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