Valve, the major player in the PC gaming space, has recently revamped its policies for season pass sales on their Steam platform. As outlined in the updated Steamworks guidelines, it’s now mandatory for game developers and publishers to specify a release date when promoting future content like season passes on a game’s store page. Valve makes it clear: if there’s any uncertainty about when the content will be available, then selling or even taking pre-orders for it shouldn’t be an option.
Now, developers and publishers have some flexibility. They can either mention a more general release timeframe—be it a specific quarter, year, or season—or they can provide an exact date for when the content will drop.
Valve’s message is pretty direct: “By offering a Season Pass, you’re promising future content,” they state. The company emphasizes that when developers launch a Season Pass, they must commit to a schedule for each content release included in that pass. This timeline isn’t just a promise to the customers but also a commitment to Steam itself.
The bottom line from Valve? If you’re unsure about the specifics of what’s included in each downloadable content (DLC) piece and can’t guarantee when it’ll be ready for launch, then it’s better not to list a Season Pass on Steam at all. This approach protects both the players and the integrity of the platform.
