Gameloft hints at possible U-turn over Disney Speedstorm season pass backlash

Gameloft has hinted at a possible U-turn over criticism it has received for future Disney Speedstorm season pass plans.

Last week the developer detailed its plans for Season 7 of the game, which is set to start soon (following the extension of Season 6).

Among the plans was news that the premium tier of the Golden Pass – which is the game’s equivalent of a season pass or battle pass –can no longer be earned by collecting in-game Tokens, and can only be purchased for $9.99.

It was also announced that, for the first time in Speedstorm, Season 7 would be split into two parts, each lasting a month and each containing a separate Golden Pass.

As such, players would be expected to pay $19.99 for both premium Golden Passes over the course of Season 7’s two months.

Fans of the game have responded negatively on the Disney Speedstorm Reddit page and Discord server, with some saying it’s the latest and least user-friendly in a series of monetisation-inspired tweaks made to the game as each season has arrived.

Gameloft has now posted a message on the game’s official X account, acknowledging the reaction to its plans and suggesting they may change.

“We would like to thank all of our fans for providing feedback over the past week”, the message reads. “We appreciate having such a passionate community. We will provide an update soon and appreciate your patience.”

Given that Season 7 is due to start on Thursday, it’s not clear if Gameloft’s update will come before then, or if Season 7 will be delayed further while Golden Pass monetisation is rethought.

After a paid early access peroid starting in April 2023, Disney Speedstorm went fully free-to-play in September that year.

The game’s seventh season, when it does arrive, will be based on Wreck-It Ralph, adding a new track and new characters from the Disney movie.