Gears 5 to have no season pass and loot boxes, all post-launch maps are free
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Gears fans, you’re in luck. The team at The Coalition have confirmed there’ll be no Season Pass or Gear Packs for Gears of War 5.
Instead, all post-launch maps for Gears 5 will be free for both matchmaking and private play, while cosmetic content can be earned through a new Tour of Duty system.
There will still be cosmetic microtransactions in Gears 5 though, as that’s where the post-launch funding will come from. However, there’ll be no RNG, which means no randomised loot boxes. You buy the specific items you want and that’s it.
“We felt it was important to let you know how we’re handling in-game content now rather than waiting until we talk about those features,” writes The Coalition.
What it means is Gears 5 won’t fragment the player base into the haves and have nots. All players will have all maps, modes, and weapons. Gears of War 4 did have a £40 season pass, although it was restricted to character and weapon skins. Post-launch support was very generous as well, totaling 24 free DLC maps and more than 50 characters. It sounds as if we’re set for much the same support with Gears 5.
In addition to all that, Gears 5 will have the Tour of Duty feature. This is a seasonal format which offers up various daily challenges and medals to be earned, all of which, in turn, unlocks customisation items such as character and weapons skins. “The path to each piece of content earnable is clear – you will know what you need to do to earn each specific customization item,” explains The Coalition. “In addition, there is no ‘Premium’ pay-only content for Tour Of Duty.”
It sounds as if we’re finally narrowing in on that sweet spot between the season passes and map packs of old, and the dreaded microtransactions of today. The middle ground means those only interest in gameplay-affecting content don’t have to spend a cent, while those who still crave their 420 weapon skin can stump up the cash if they wish.
Gears 5 is coming to PC and Xbox One on September 10th.
