Battle-pass season launch checklist for F2P UA and live-ops

Season starts fail when UA creative, store merchandising and the live pass SKU disagree on date, price or rewards. Treat launch as a gate list with named owners — not a Slack “LGTM”.

Store and offer gates (observed docs)

Apple’s In-App Events overview (body-read 20 September 2026) states that event cards show name and short description, that the details page includes information about any required In-App Purchases or subscriptions, and that customers without the app can download from the card. If you merchandise a battle-pass season as an In-App Event, the pass SKU and eligibility copy on that page must match what UA ads claim.

Apple’s Set a price for an In-App Purchase requires pricing before review, offers up to 800 default price points across 174 storefronts / 43 currencies, and notes Apple may auto-adjust non-base storefront prices for tax and FX while never changing the base country price without your action.

Shared launch checklist

1. Confirm pass SKU product IDs, local prices and availability windows in App Store Connect / Play Console match the season brief.
2. If using an App Store In-App Event, freeze event name, short description and required-IAP disclosure before creative lock.
3. Freeze UA endcards and playables to the same reward names and end date as the live pass track.
4. Record announcement date vs effective go-live separately; do not backdate either.
5. Kill or pause previous-season creatives that still show expired rewards before paid spend ramps.

Facts vs limits

Download the operator card.

Draft prepared 20 September 2026. Local expansion-500 file; human editorial review pending. No CMS write.