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Valve sets new Steam guidelines for DLC release dates & accurate content delivery

Developers will now be required to provide concrete release dates for DLC and season pass content, as well as partial refunds on undelivered content.

TJ Denzer

November 21, 2024 12:40 PM

Image via Valve

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This week, Valve has put out a refreshed set of guidelines on Steam, specifically relating to various rules on DLC release dates and delivery of content. From here on, Valve will require developers launching DLC or expansions to commit to release dates when it comes to season pass-style content. Devs will also be forced to allow partial refunds on DLC where the content isn’t fully delivered or is canceled.

Valve shared its new guidelines on DLC and season pass content in a Steamworks blog post this week. There, the group explained that the new rules are meant to protect buyers and ensure no funny business happens in the case of pre-ordered DLC or season pass content. For one, that includes devs having to commit to a release schedule when their DLC is listed on Steam. The content of season passes and DLC will also matter and if a group doesn’t deliver on the content it promises, such as canceling a portion of a season pass or outright not releasing the DLC, then buyers will be entitled to a partial refund for content that was formally stated but left undelivered.

This move should hopefully ensure that developers are held accountable for promises made on DLC and season passes. In the past, we’ve seen DLC packs like those of Final Fantasy 15 get outright canceled. Other games have also had similar issues, especially if the base title doesn’t sell well. With these new rules in place, Steam customers will at least have the peace of mind that if something does run afoul with season passes they won’t be left high and dry with a pre-order.

With Valve rolling out these changes now, it will be interesting to see how Steam and the developers and publishers on there respond. Stay tuned for more updates as they drop right here at Shacknews.

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.