Valve published a updated document of Steamworks regarding the Season Passes and related additional content linked to them. From today, the developers will have to clarify what the contents of the included DLC are, one by one and they will be forced to generate a page dedicated to the season pass only.
These changes have been made to offer greater transparency and, above all, security to users who decide to pre-purchase additional content for a game. In an industry that sees more and more GaaS (Game-as-a-Service), many of which unfortunately close well before releasing all the promised content, this is a great added value for gamers.
This is because Steam will provide refunds if all or part of the add-on content is cancelled or released well beyond the deadlines promised by the developers. Together with the contents, in fact, software houses will have to communicate an exact release date for any additional content.
“By offering a season pass, promise future content. To launch a season pass you will be required to meet a release timeline for each piece of content included in the pass. The release timeline is a commitment to both customers and Steam. If you haven’t planned to clearly communicate the content included in each DLC, as well as when each DLC will be ready for release, you shouldn’t offer a season pass on Steam” we read in the document.
But that’s not all: Steam apparently will drastically reduce the number of season passes available in a broader sense. The document clearly states that Developers will no longer be allowed to offer a season pass, except for trusted partners.
“Since a season pass is effectively a pre-purchase of DLC, creating a season pass on Steam comes with many of the same rules and restrictions described in pre-purchase documentation. For these reasons, We will not offer a season pass except to partners with whom there is a strong relationship and who have a positive track record on Steam“.
Finally, each season pass, excluding those included in the premium/deluxe editions of the games, must contain at least one unlockable DLC at the time of purchase. A further guarantee for players who in this way will have the certainty of receiving at least part of the content right away.
It must be recognized that such restrictions could limit independent developers and smaller publishers, for whom it will be more complex to support the development of their titles. However, it is undeniable that in recent years players have seen their money go to waste contents different from those promised or even never released. It is therefore appreciable that Valve is committed to providing greater guarantees for consumers.
In this regard, Valve has made numerous changes to its policies this year to protect its users. Just in September, the company has removed binding arbitration from its terms and conditions allowing users to sue the company.
Source: gaming.hwupgrade.it
