A newEApatent focuses on a battle pass system that offers several different reward tracks rather than just one being free and the other being premium. Live service games have blown up in popularity in recent years, withEAlive service games likeApex LegendsandBattlefield 2042featuring the battle pass system that’s commonly found in these games. However, it seems EA may be looking at ways to shake up battle passes in live service games.
SinceFortnitepopularized the battle pass concept, games likeDestiny 2,Call of Duty, andOverwatch 2have adopted the idea. Continuing to innovate on the formula, Electronic Arts has patented a unique battle pass that may be more engaging to progress through compared to the existing tracks in current live servicegames likeApex LegendsandBattlefield 2042.
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A recently filed EA patent hints that the publisher is looking to improve battle passes by offering more player freedom. This new system focuses on a battle pass that can take different directions likethe one inCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, but is seemingly less linear. EA fans will receive the cosmetics that they usually would from a battle pass by selecting different tracks, with one potentially being class-specific. According to the patent, this class-specific track may be independent of others, with one lineup of rewards dubbed the primary advancement track.
Going beyond standard gameplay, the EA patent also suggests that there will be a competitive track that seasoned gamers can progress through which will take their ranking into account. The aforementionedEA battle passtracks will run parallel to and may not interfere with each other, allowing fans to pick which one to start with based on their style of gameplay. Because casualApex LegendsorBattlefield 2042players may struggle to complete a full battle pass, being able to select which areas to unlock may help some fans unlock the items that they want.
Based on the figures presented by the EA patent, the new battle pass method may appear less like one coherent lineup of cosmetics and more like a few different ones that players can choose between. Given that the patent doesn’t specify the monetization of the adjusted system beyond tier skips potentially requiringin-game EA currency, it’s currently unclear if this kind of battle pass would be sold separately from the standard one.
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