It goes without saying that limited-time events are a very good way to keep players coming back to a game. After all, there are not many things that could beat exclusive rewards available for a short amount of time. But even though exploiting people’s fear of missing out is a tale as old as time, this approach could also mean that everyone who misses an event might never get another chance to collect those rewards. In any case, Cult of the Lamb has taken an entirely different approach than this.
The game reintroduced the so-called Blood Moon Festival on October 24, 2026, and it is confirmed that it will run until November 10, 2026. So instead of introducing an entirely new collection of rewards, the event aims to give players an additional opportunity to unlock items that they might have missed with previous Cult of the Lamb events. This is a great example that seasonal events don’t really have to rely on one-time rewards to remain relevant. In fact, there may even be more than one reason why more developers should adopt this approach.
Returning Rewards Give New Players a Chance to Catch Up
One of the biggest issues with rewards that never return to the game is that new players have absolutely no way of obtaining them. For example, the Blood Moon Festival appeared in Cult of the Lamb for the first time in October 2022. This basically means if those rewards never return to the game again, people who have missed the original event will never be able to get the rewards. In other words, the event gives players another chance to collect the three special Follower Forms and the four decorations. Moreover, it’s important to note that there are players who can only afford to play for a few hours per week, so if they constantly keep missing out on cool rewards that are otherwise unobtainable, they could quickly start feeling like catching up is just impossible, leading them to quit trying in the first place.
Guess the games from the emojis.
Generally, this approach is way less punishing for the players, and even though there is nothing inherently wrong with rewarding longtime fans for their dedication, making certain items permanently unavailable simply because someone wasn’t around seems like a pretty big restriction. Additionally, bringing back older rewards doesn’t really mean that they should be handed out for free. In fact, Cult of the Lamb actually makes players earn their Halloween-themed items by performing the Blood Moon Ritual and catching ghosts that appear around their base. So it’s not just about handing out rewards; it actually adds another layer to the game and makes the entire process a lot more entertaining anyway. Many would agree that the way one obtains the rewards can be just as interesting as the rewards themselves.
Old Rewards Can Still Give Longtime Players Something New to Earn
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Image via Game Rant; Source: Massive Monster -
Image via Game Rant; Source: Massive Monster -
Image via Game Rant; Source: Massive Monster
Another point worth mentioning is that developers should really think about how exactly they are bringing back their old seasonal rewards because players who have already collected everything the first time around also need to stay entertained. Cult of the Lamb has a solution to this issue as well because, according to Massive Monster, players who have already unlocked all the seasonal items can earn three Divine Inspiration points whenever they catch a ghost. This is a great way to give longtime players something else to gain from participating, and more importantly, it doesn’t require developers to choose between catering to newcomers and rewarding the already existing audience. Moreover, this is proof that this approach can be executed without having to introduce a ton of new mechanics or overload the event with rewards.
The Blood Moon Ritual normally costs 40 Pumpkins, although players with the ritual cost reduction upgrade can perform it for less.
Seasonal Rewards Don’t Have to Be Gone Forever
Generally, seasonal exclusivity is not necessarily a bad thing because limited-time rewards can make special events more exciting, especially when they give players something to remember them by. After all, there are plenty of players who pride themselves on owning exclusive cosmetics that will never be available again, and not everybody has. However, the other side of the coin is no less valid, and Cult of the Lamb makes a strong case for why more developers should consider recurring seasonal rewards.
The truth is that the Blood Moon Festival still manages to maintain its Halloween identity while also giving new players a way to earn cool rewards. Obviously, this approach is not appropriate for every event, so there will be plenty of room left for genuinely exclusive items either way, but the overall idea is that the developers shouldn’t really feel obligated to make rewards permanently unobtainable just to make everything seem more important. Last but not least, it will also be interesting to see whether players would be less interested in participating in seasonal events if they knew they would be able to get those rewards again at some point.
- Released
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August 11, 2022
- ESRB
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Teen / Blood, Violence.
- Developer(s)
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Massive Monster
