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| Price of Old Seasonal Cosmetics in 'Destiny 2' Increased Ninefold for Resale |
Just as I was commending Bungie for moving Destiny 2 armor away from Eververse this season and transforming it into a hard-earned, in-game reward, a rather perplexing situation has arisen.
At the recent weekly reset in Destiny 2, players were met with a surprising message: the cosmetics from Season of the Worthy's battle pass, which were initially part of the $10 season pass three years ago when that season was first launched, have returned for sale. . However, instead of offering a $10 bundle to replicate the original price, these items are now being sold individually, with most of them priced comparably to what they would cost on the current storefront. For instance, sets of armor ornaments are being sold for as much as $15 each. When you tally up the total cost of the season pass content, it amounts to approximately $90, which is nine times the original price.
Adding to the confusion is the fact that owning the previous season pass doesn't exempt you from purchasing these items. Even if you previously owned the season but didn't complete the battle pass in time (a task that used to be easier when seasonal content was removed after three months), you will still have to pay for these cosmetics.
Previously, I have voiced concerns, which seem to be shared by the community, that Destiny 2 has become one of the most heavily monetized games, rivaled only by literal gacha gambling titles due to the sheer volume of items it sells. It's starting to raise questions about whether Bungie is facing revenue shortfalls, as there doesn't seem to be a clear reason for these practices to persist.
There's a kernel of a good idea in this situation. It would be a welcome move if Bungie re-offered past season passes at the original $10 price, allowing players who missed them the first time to gradually unlock the rewards. Halo Infinite, for instance, adopts this approach with its non-expiring battle passes. While it's not an ideal solution, as $10 used to buy an entire season, it's far more reasonable than the current $90 price tag for the bundle. Even if you have the option to pick and choose items, paying 1.5 times the original season price for an armor set still feels unpalatable. The absence of a simple $10 bundle option remains puzzling.
From the player's perspective, it's challenging to find any valid counterarguments. The argument that some players should have access to three-year-old cosmetics "because they were there" doesn't hold much water. Moreover, the tired "you don't have to buy it" explanation can be applied to any video game microtransaction, but that doesn't excuse questionable practices when they arise.
It's genuinely surprising that Bungie keeps finding new things to sell in the game. The community had to raise a collective voice just to remove a single armor set from Eververse, and yet, two weeks later, another one appears at the same price point. Prior to this, it was the introduction of $10 time-gated paywalled shaders, followed by the dungeon pass, the sale of transmog currency, and the list goes on.
In conclusion, this development is a significant misstep. While there's nothing inherently wrong with allowing players to acquire cosmetics from previous years, the current approach feels unsavory and overly monetized.
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