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.