For two decades, Valve’s Steam has been a dominant platform for PC games. Now, Valve is using its power to write new rules for season passes and DLC sold through Steam. Among the changes, publishers will now have to provide a description for each DLC, as well as a three-month launch window. Publishers will only get to change the DLC date once–within a three-month window beyond the originally scheduled date–without risking Valve stepping in to resolve the situation by potentially refunding players the price of the DLC.
“By offering a season pass, you are promising future content,” writes Valve in the newly revised site for Steam partners. “In the process of launching a Season Pass you will be asked to commit to a launch timing for each content release in the season pass. That launch timing is a commitment to both customers and Steam. If you aren’t ready to clearly communicate about the content included in each DLC AND when each DLC will be ready for launch, you shouldn’t offer a season pass on Steam.”
Additionally, Valve is now restricting season passes to “partners with which we have a well-established relationship and that have a proven track record on Steam.” Games that do include season passes are also required to have at least one DLC ready to go when launched. The only exception to that rule is for season passes that are included in pre-purchases for deluxe editions.
These rules are meant to give players a better idea of what they’re purchasing, as well as a means to get refunds if publishers don’t follow Valve’s new guidelines. But Steam’s issues aren’t confined to those problems. A US Senator recently accused Valve of letting hate content spread unchecked on Steam. In other news, Valve has confirmed that Steam Deck 2 will be “a generational leap” over the original, rather than a minor update of hardware and power.
