Steam will require developers to be clear about their season pass plans.
This week, the PC gaming platform, Steam, has implemented new support for the season pass approach as a monetization method.
The implementation of season passes has become a common strategy for generating revenue in popular video games like Fortnite and Call of Duty, as it aims to maintain player interest over time. This week, Steam, the PC gaming platform owned by Valve, has begun to offer support for this monetization method.
Steam has clarified its policy on what it considers a season pass and has established guidelines for developers to properly communicate the content of such passes to players. According to Steam's updated documentation, when a season pass is launched for a game, it is mandatory to list all downloadable content (DLC) that is included in the purchase. Additionally, developers will be required to provide an estimated release date for each DLC.
While delays are common in video game development, Valve will allow a studio to reschedule the release date of a season pass only once; if further changes are needed, Valve's intervention will be required to make such modifications. In situations where a season pass is canceled, customers must be refunded for the content they paid for that was not released.
The documentation states that "by offering a Season Pass, future content is being promised." When launching a Season Pass, developers are required to commit to a release schedule for each piece of content. This scheduling is a commitment both to customers and to Steam. If developers are not prepared to clearly communicate the content of each DLC and its availability, they should not offer a Season Pass on the platform.
In recent months, Steam has also updated its wording on several key topics, clarifying that the games in players' libraries are licenses for those titles and not definitive ownership. Additionally, Valve has removed mentions of binding arbitration from its Steam Subscriber Agreement.