Once upon a time, we could unlock all cosmetic items just by playing the game we paid for.
When cosmetic DLCs came around, framed as a way to support the developers it was still somewhat accepted. If you wanted to look pretty, pay a little more. Fine.
But what's up with all these seasonal passes and whatnot? So, you're saying I can pay a game for the privilege of working to earn these cosmetics. And there's a seasonal rotation, so I can still stand to miss out if I don't play enough in the given time frame?
That's a bad deal if I've seen one.
I know it's been around for a long time, but it's a crappy business proposition. It's a sad state that we can't just pay for a completed game and avoid any microtransaction bs in game while playing.
It's when they keep getting shoved in your face unnecessarily, I think. Games like DST do it well imo - there's free skins for just playing the game, or timed drops, and you can buy a pack to support the developers if you'd like.
Paying for a pass so your sessions in a game gives you "bonus" rewards is kind of crappy. You didn't do any additional quests, but because you paid money you now gain more cosmetics, or double the exp. But...for a paid game? That's F2P level monetisation. It shouldn't have a place in a game where you've paid upfront, you know? And for every rewards screen to go "You could ALSO have earned xxx" to remind you that you should buy it, that's scummy.