EA opens battle pass pre-orders, creates new metric to gauge demand

EA is back in the headlines for monetization practices, and this time gamers have noticed an interesting new trend that could arm the company with even more high-level data.

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A new video from YouTuber DannyonPC shows that EA is currently taking pre-orders for Battlefield 6's new season 3 battle pass. Users have noticed pop-ups while playing in-game that advertise both battle pass purchase options--the standard $10 version, or the $25 Battlefield Pro. EA is offering pre-order bonuses for gamers who buy now, including weapons and packs.

EA has discussed season 3 at length, confirming a May 12 start date and the inclusion of Battlefield 6's largest map to date--Railway to Golmud, a reimagining of the BF4 classic--and ranked battle royale.

This new tactic feels like a twofold maneuver from EA. First, the publisher would get new purchase information that could be used to determine the level of interest in the current playerbase community. Second, EA is also looking to maximize profits and returns, especially now that a $55 billion private buyout is looming on the horizon.

These kinds of purchases allow EA to gauge a certain level of demand for continued paid updates--at least with feedback from enthusiast players in the community. These kinds of new direct digital economies are also a key part of what I referred to as Games-as-a-Platform, which is what Halo Studios originally wanted Halo Infinite to be. It's also what Ubisoft wanted to do with Assassin's Creed Infinity.

Electronic Arts is well-known for introducing new innovative digital revenue generators into its games, and the publisher makes billions of dollars a year from a potent combination of high-volume annualized sports games alongside distinctly meticulous microtransaction schemes.

It will be interesting to see if more publishers take the direct battle pass pre-order approach or if this is something that will die off over time. Right now, it feels like the wild west of gaming and many game devs and publishers are willing to try new things in order to squeeze out extra revenue.