Is the NBA 2K24 Premium Season Pass pay-to-win?

NBA 2K24 will not only have seasons at launch, but players will also be able to acquire a Premium Season Pass by spending an additional amount. This was confirmed earlier on August 17 by publishers 2K Sports, who also clarified how much players will have to spend.

The premium upgrade will be available in two different options - Pro and Hall of Fame. The Pro upgrade will cost a player $9.99, while the Hall of Fame upgrade will cost $19.99.

This amount is on top of whatever players spend to acquire NBA 2K24 in the first place (starts at $69.99 and moves upwards). This raises a very valid question about whether the new system makes the upcoming video game pay-to-win.

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NBA 2K24's Premium Season Pass has the potential of unfair advantages

As of NBA 2K23, seasonal rewards have been more or less fair to all. There's no direct way for anyone to spend and speed up their seasonal progress, and they can't also obtain any extra items. Whether someone chooses to buy VC or not, they must complete the seasonal pass similarly.

The Pro upgrade will come with additional rewards, which aren't limited to additional tokens and VCs. By purchasing the upgrade, players will instantly unlock an 89-rated Ruby Giannis Antetokounmpo card, which is separate from the reward track.

The Hall of Fame upgrade comes with level skips and allows players to get 15% additional seasonal XP in NBA 2K24. The extra resources from the Premium Season Pass may or may not be considered an unfair advantage.

After all, players can choose to spend extra money and buy VC directly from the in-game store. Getting it from the seasonal pass won't make that much of a difference. Moreover, there's no guarantee that the additional packs they buy will grant them something substantial in the first place.

However, the premium card (like the 89-rated Giannis item) could give a big advantage to those who choose to spend the additional amount. Do remember that this card will be unlocked immediately, and there's no luck factor here.

With the pool of available cards limited at release, any NBA 2K24 players with the upgraded pass will have an advantage, at least on paper.

However, they will still have to match up in skill and defeat their opponents. Nevertheless, the Premium Season Pass could give an advantage to anyone who chooses to spend extra. More remains to be understood, as the upgraded path's content has not been revealed yet.

In some sense, the opportunity to get additional resources every season is quite beneficial. Unlike NBA 2K23, NBA 2K24 players will have one linear reward track, with up to 80 different obtainable items.

On the face of it, while the new system appears to be an upgrade, 2K Sports will have to do a balancing act between the free and premium season passes.