Steam has earned, in its own right, a great reputation among the gaming community. And so much so that, although we are obviously talking about a meme, the sanctified image of Gabe Newell, founder of Valve, creator of some titles that will go down in history as the best and, of course, founder and constant supervisor of the main digital store of games for PC, reflects that, unlike what happens with many of the big executives in the sector, you can be on the side of the user and, at the same time, bill an enormous amount of money.
In line with this philosophy, Valve has decided adjust the rules of your store to further protect users. This time, the focus is on the controversial season passeswith new rules that seek to guarantee greater transparency and responsibility on the part of developers.
Season passes have been a common bet by developers to monetize additional content, offering access to future expansions and improvements at a reduced price. However, This practice has drawn criticism for its lack of clarity and broken promises. who have often accompanied them. Indefinite delays, content that never arrives or, worse still, elements that seem to be part of the base game sold as extras, are some of the abuses that have undermined players’ confidence in this model.
To combat these practices, Valve has introduced a series of clear rules on Steam. From now on, developers offering season passes will be required to provide a detailed list of included content, along with basic descriptions and expected release dates. Additionally, at least one piece of content must be available at the time of pass purchase. If content is delayed, developers will be able to reschedule it once, but only with a maximum margin of three months and, in the event of cancellation of any promised item, users will receive a proportional refund for the undelivered content.
These measures seek eliminate the uncertainty that often surrounds season passesensuring that players know exactly what they are purchasing and that they receive what was promised in a timely manner. With this move, Valve reinforces its position as a guarantor of trust in digital distribution.
This is not the first time that Valve makes decisions with users in mind. From introducing its refund policy in 2015to the measures to combat fraudulent content or abusive practices, Steam has established itself as one of the most reliable platforms for the gamer community. These policies have set a standard that many other platforms have attempted to emulate, but few have matched. With these new rules, Valve shows that it is not content with leading the market, but also wants to be an example of good practices. Will this be another step towards a transparency standard that inspires others?
Source: www.muycomputer.com
