The claws of premium DLC are slowly being torn away. Games like Rainbow Six: Siege, Halo, Overwatch and others have ditched the premium model for cosmetics, loot boxes and other monetization schemes. But the days of premium maps fragmenting communities are coming to an end. Mostly.

Another retailer leak reveals the shocking news that Activision is keeping the season pass model with Call of Duty: WW II. A new image floating around shows off the Pro Edition with the usual set of goodies packed in. The game, a steelbook case and the season pass.

Yeah, I didn’t expect Activision to ditch the season pass. Going back to World War II is an easy win for Activision. Fans have been clamoring for a return to the roots for the Call of Duty franchise, and the devs at Sledgehammer Games are delivering. Boots on the ground is almost assuredly back barring some alternate timeline. Could you imagine if jetpacks somehow stayed in? That would almost be worth it just to see the reaction.

The hype surrounding Call of Duty will be the highest we’ve seen in years. The return to boots on the ground gameplay will be great, but so will returning to the WWII setting on new hardware. DICE brought their trademark technical prowess to the gritty battlefields of WWI. I can’t wait to see what Sledgehammer Games can do with WWII, both singleplayer and multiplayer.

Will Call of Duty ever ditch the season pass?

It’s a tough one. I get the hate for season passes. They fracture the community. Which can be a big problem for games that don’t have the community to support it. On the flip side, we won’t see nearly the amount of content if the premium model isn’t there.

Still, the community comes first for me. Call of Duty should ditch the premium model. Hell, they already milk the loot box model too. The thing is, COD: WWII will probably be so successful – Activision won’t be forced into ditching the season pass model. Plus, there’s always the Zombies crowd. And my nephew will make damn sure that I have the latest Zombies maps.

The reason I even ask if Call of Duty will get rid of the season pass is because of the Star Wars Battlefront 2 news from DICE. They decided to get rid of it to keep the community together. It’ll be interesting to compare the post-launch content between Battlefront 1 and 2.

Activision will keep pushing the premium DLC model as long as we keep supporting it. And with the excitement that is sure to surround a return to more traditional gameplay, it’s hard for me to see how we don’t keep supporting it.

Do you buy the season pass for Call of Duty games? Are they worth it?