The recent controversy surrounding Destiny 2 proves that more games should take a cue from Halo Infinite's battle pass concept

Destiny 2 has been using the seasonal model for quite some time and is considered a prime example in the industry of successfully reviving a game as a live-service title, especially considering the state of the looter-shooter after Curse of Osiris. Things are set to change for the game as Destiny 2: The Final Shape introduces episodes instead of seasons. This is expected to have implications both on the live-service model employed by Bungie and the actual content of these quarterly releases. Despite the success of Bungie's flagship game, there have also been several controversies. The recent one revolves around the return of cosmetic items from season passes, once again highlighting why more games should adopt Halo Infinite's approach.

Since its release, Halo Infinite has not been a successful live-service game, and its shortcomings have often been apparent and somewhat unexpected for such a long-standing and popular franchise. However, 343 Industries has been praised for Halo Infinite's approach to battle passes, which is refreshing in an industry where live-service games are becoming increasingly common. What the game does that Destiny 2 lacks is the ability to acquire past season passes and choose which ones to level up at a specific time, thereby receiving the corresponding rewards upon reaching the associated milestones.

Destiny 2's Cosmetics Controversy Further Proves Halo Infinite's Season Passes Work

The Season of the Worthy flashback event in Destiny 2 was launched this week in Season of the Witch and will continue for several weeks. The whole idea behind it was to give players a second chance to obtain the cosmetic items from Season 10. Since all season passes in Destiny 2 are stored away at the start of the following season, players have repeatedly complained that this approach only amplifies the feeling of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) and doesn't do anyone any favors.

When Bungie initially announced that old season pass cosmetic items would be returning, players assumed they would be available for both Bright Dust and Silver. However, the truth is worse than that. Not only are all Season of the Worthy cosmetic items in Destiny 2 exclusively available for real money, but they amount to a total of just over $80 compared to the $10 cost of the original season pass. This has sparked discussions about in-game microtransaction prices, but more importantly, it should prompt an industry-wide discussion about season passes.

The way Halo Infinite handles its Battle Passes makes sense, as it respects players' time investment and ensures they get good value for their money. The main appeal of season passes in Destiny 2 is that they also include corresponding seasonal content, with cosmetic items serving as a nice bonus. However, the game does not guarantee players a clear path to obtaining all the cosmetic items in the season pass without putting in many hours of gameplay each season. Even the seasonal challenges are time-limited or can have very demanding requirements to complete them.

Therefore, it would make sense to allow players to purchase a specific season pass even after its expiration date and activate any season pass at any given time. This would give players more reasons to engage with the game and do so at their own pace, without fear of missing out (FOMO). This is not something that only Bungie should do, although Destiny 2's The Final Shape would be a great opportunity for it, but rather it should become the new gold standard for games with battle passes. If there's one lesson to be learned from Halo Infinite, it's to show players that games respecting their time and money are just as important as offering good gameplay.

Destiny 2 is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.