In today’s “but why, though?” It appears that the upcoming Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League game will include not only microtransactions but also a battle pass.

The news comes via VG24/7, who reported that images of a menu showing the battle pass tab first showed up on 4chan but have been confirmed by VG24/7 as legit. 

Not that battle passes are wrong all the time, but when they are showing up in a game that’s made zero mention of live-service elements, it makes me think I am in 2009 all over again. 

The Suicide Squad comes from Rocksteady Games, the developer behind Batman: Arkham Asylum, Batman: Arkham City and Batman: Arkham Knight, three games that did not include any live service elements. Even last year’s Gotham Knights, from WB Games, which was always perceived to be, or want to be, a live-service game from the initial trailer, did not include a battle pass. 

According to Andy Robinson (EIC at VGC) on Twitter, the battle pass is only for cosmetics, and you will not unlock any skills or items that will affect the gameplay. Still, the overall Twitter reaction to the news this morning has been adverse. The news coming out this way is bound to have upset Warner Bros and Rocksteady Games, who have been somewhat secretive about the game. 

What do you think about adding a battle pass to Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League? Let me know in the comment section below.