If you had asked me last week what game I thought would add a battle pass system next, I doubt I’d have come up with PGA Tour 2K21 but I have to admit it makes sense.
The battle pass idea – made popular by battle royale juggernaut Fortnite – is pretty simple. There’s a list of content added to the game that you can unlock some of for free, but can pay a nominal fee to work towards unlocking all of it.
It provides players with progression mechanics via the rewards, giving you a reason to come back and play – especially if they implement daily/weekly challenges, and it gives the devs a revenue stream to justify (and pay for) the development time needed.
The clubhouse pass is mainly gear with a few slots that offer experience boosts and coins, so we’ll see what the balance is like during play and whether or not progression seems slow. After finishing one round I was about 80% done the first level of the pass, which isn’t bad at all.
The gear you can unlock doesn’t appear to offer any sort of bonus over those already in the game, so the ‘pay to win’ fearmongering can be avoided but we’ll have to see if this content is worth the asking price.
The new course – Detroit Golf Club – looks nice, and plays well on first blush. Again, we’ll have to see how it holds up to repeat plays as I learn better lines and lies for each hole.
Here’s the press release:
HIT THE LINKS WITH CLUBHOUSE PASS AND THE NEW DETROIT GOLF CLUB IN THE LATEST PGA TOUR® 2K21 UPDATE
Earn rewards featuring new gear from brands including Mizuno, Goodr, and Under Armour, plus take on the Rocket Mortgage Classic
2K and HB Studios today announced the PGA TOUR® 2K21 Clubhouse Pass*, an ongoing live service featuring new clubs, new gear and new MyPLAYER customizations for players to earn and unlock. Season 1 of Clubhouse Pass is available now**, running December 3, 2020 to March 3, 2021. In addition to Clubhouse Pass, a free, brand new course is now available to all players: Detroit Golf Club.
Season 1 of Clubhouse Pass includes the potential to unlock up to 75 levels of gear, VC and cosmetic items you can earn to peacock your status. All players can earn XP in any mode to advance through the Clubhouse Pass levels, and with three months of fresh content, there will be a ton of new clubs, clothes and VC rewards to unlock.
There are three Tiers to the Clubhouse Pass:
- Free: This tier allows you to access 15 free levels of the 75 levels in Season 1. Every five levels you pass, you’ll receive a reward;
- Premium Pass ($7.99): Access all 75 levels of rewards;
- Premium+ Pass ($14.99): Access all 75 levels of rewards, plus skip the first 20 levels and automatically unlock those rewards.
The Detroit Golf Club course will also make its debut on December 3. Founded in 1899, Detroit Golf Club became home to the Rocket Mortgage Classic in 2019, the first-ever PGA TOUR event held in Detroit.
“Detroit Golf Club and the Rocket Mortgage Classic come together for a compelling event on an amazing course,” said Shaun West, Senior Producer at HB Studios. “The course brings new challenges to PGA TOUR 2K21 with a fun and rewarding layout to navigate. Being one of the flattest courses on the PGA TOUR, the event setup still finds a way to challenge even the top pros. We wanted to bring that experience to life in the game to see how our fans would fair.”
Last but not least, keep your eye out for some festive, holiday-themed cosmetic items, available to all players, to deck out your MyPLAYER!
For more information on Clubhouse Pass, visit http://pgatour2k21.com/clubhouse. For information on PGA TOUR 2K21, visit www.PGATOUR2K21.com, become a fan on Facebook, follow the game on Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #PGATOUR2K21 or subscribe on YouTube.
PGA TOUR 2K21 is developed by HB Studios for 2K. 2K is a wholly owned publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO).
* PGA TOUR 2K21 required to play content.
**Clubhouse Pass will be available for Nintendo Switch in December 2020 and will span a full three months.
