Valve is making some changes to how Season Pass content and purchases are made through Steam. As spotted by SteamDB creator Pavel Djundik, Valve has updated their Steamworks Documentation with significant changes to the handling of Season Passes and the promise of future game content.
Valve will now require that all Season Passes sold through Steam include the following information before people can make their purchase:
- A complete list of all DLC included in the Pass. (i.e. listing each of the four DLCs included in a Pass).
- A basic description of the content that’s included in each DLC. For example, the first content release might be “The Glitterlands Expansion – New area to explore, two new weapons, and new enemies.” It’s not required for the DLC to have a final name at the launch of the Season Pass. The information about the content in the DLC doesn’t need to be detailed (simply “new weapons” or “two new weapons” is acceptable, they don’t have to list the exact weapons).
- Expected release date for each DLC. Quarter and Year (i.e. January to March 2025) or Season/Year is acceptable. Of course, a date that’s more precise is also fine (i.e. June, 2025 or June 1st, 2025).
*with the exception of Season Passes included in a Pre-Purchase of a deluxe edition.
We understand that game development doesn't always go as planned. If you think you aren't going to be able to release a DLC into the Season Pass by the quarter you promised, we allow you to self-reschedule the release date one time only during the Season Pass. You can pick a new date up to 3 months later than you originally selected. If for some reason you need to delay more than that, please reach out to us directly.
If you cancel a DLC in a Season Pass, customers will be offered a refund for the value of unreleased DLC.
If you cancel a DLC in a Season Pass, customers will be offered a refund for the value of unreleased DLC.
This change will also not impact any DLC or content that is finished and ready for release ahead of schedule.
A fair number of these stipulations and changes will require that the publishers get in contact with Valve directly. To that end, Valve says that publishers on Steam should allow for some extra time for review of their Steam Store Page. Valve says that a page review should take just 3-5 business days for approval but they recommend budgeting at least a week (7 days) for Season Pass store page review.
