These days, season passes have become a really touchy subject. When people are already shelling out $60 for the retail release of a game, it can be a tall order to expect them to drop another $30+ for the promise of new content. Assassin's Creed Odyssey is a fairly anticipated retail release this year, and with less than a month before release, Ubisoft has dropped a video outlining their post-launch plans for the game.
It looks like Odyssey is going to feature a wide array of content post-launch. Starting off, the trailer covers the content associated with the game's Season Pass. The season pass includes two story arcs, Legacy of the First Blade and The Fate of Atlantis. Interestingly enough, these arcs will be released in an episodic format. Each arc is comprised of three episodes that will release approximately six weeks apart, giving players a steady stream of content consumable in smaller chunks. Legacy of the First Blade will release its first episode in December 2018, and The Fate of Atlantis will drop sometime in Spring 2019.
As an extra incentive, the Season Pass will also include Assassin's Creed III Remastered and Assassin's Creed III Liberation Remastered. That's basically two full games being included in a season pass, so if playing or replaying those games is in your wheelhouse, there's definitely a good deal of value added.
Outside of the season pass, the Odyssey will feature free content that serves to fill the gaps between the Season Pass releases. The Lost Tales of Greece is another set of episodic questlines that release between arc episodes, bringing new stories to the world. Weekly challenges will also feature epic ships or mercenaries, which will challenge players with new enemies to get new loot. There's also a Discovery Tour mode, which allows players to explore the world without conflict, so they can focus on delving into the lore of the world. There's also some details of New Game Plus, and a few glimpses into new mythical creatures to bring down.
Historically, I've been adverse to the idea of a Season Pass. Paying in advance for the promise of content isn't generally my cup of tea. That being said, I like the way that Ubisoft has fleshed out this content well in advance, giving specifics of what to expect and when to expect it. And even though Assassin's Creed III wasn't my favorite entry in the series, a fully fledged game included in a season pass is a tempting offer. The season pass is included with the premium editions of Assassin's Creed Odyssey, so if this piques your interest, it may we worth upgrading that purchase.
SAN FRANCISCO — September 13, 2018 — Today, Ubisoft announced the Assassin’s Creed® Odyssey post-launch plan introducing a brand new episodic format. Season Pass and free narrative content will release on a regular basis, giving players a constant flow of new stories to experience. Additionally, all Assassin’s Creed Odyssey players will have access to recurring free in-game events, introducing challenging enemies and daily quests. Season Pass owners will also receive two bonus games: Assassin’s Creed® III Remastered and Assassin’s Creed® III Liberation Remastered.
The Assassin’s Creed Odyssey live roadmap plan is the biggest and most ambitious in the franchise, deepening storytelling through its episodic structure. Season Pass owners will access two major storylines with three episodes each while all players will receive free story missions called The Lost Tales of Greece. Players can dive into new episodes as they premiere, or experience the epic adventures in their entirety once all episodes are available. Keeping in tone with Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, accessing this new content will be all about player choice.
The Assassin’s Creed Odyssey Season Pass includes:
The Season Pass is included in the Assassin’s Creed Odyssey Gold, Ultimate, Spartan and Pantheon Editions and is also available for purchase separately for $39.99.
In addition, an extensive lineup of free content including new narrative content and in-game events will be available for all players after launch, including:
There will be more to come as the Assassin’s Creed Odyssey development team is committed to support the game and continued improvement of the core experience with additional content, yet to be revealed.
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey will be released worldwide on October 5, 2018. Gold, Collectors and Ultimate Editions owners will have access to the game three days early, starting October 2.