Steam getting proper Season Pass support with clearer guidelines and refunds for cancellations

Valve have another Steam store update incoming, with seemingly proper built-in support for a Season Pass along with new guidance for developers.

Initially spotted by SteamDB developer Pavel Djundik on Bluesky pointing out a new Steamworks page for Season Passes. Valve note on this page that Season Pass store pages will be listing all of the DLC included, along with their release dates. If developers aren't ready to clearly tell you when each DLC will be released then developers "shouldn't offer a Season Pass on Steam".

Valve said they will only offer Season Passes to developers "in a few rare cases with partners with which we have a well-established relationship and that have a proven track record on Steam".

The new guidelines include:

When a Season Pass is made available for purchase on Steam, it must include the following information:

• A complete list of all DLC included in the Pass. (i.e. listing each of the four DLCs included in a Pass).
• A basic description of the content that’s included in each DLC. For example, the first content release might be “The Glitterlands Expansion – New area to explore, two new weapons, and new enemies.” It’s not required for the DLC to have a final name at the launch of the Season Pass. The information about the content in the DLC doesn’t need to be detailed (simply “new weapons” or “two new weapons” is acceptable, they don’t have to list the exact weapons).
• Expected release date for each DLC. Quarter and Year (i.e. January to March 2025) or Season/Year is acceptable. Of course, a date that’s more precise is also fine (i.e. June, 2025 or June 1st, 2025).

A Season Pass must include at least one released DLC when it is made available for purchase*
*with the exception of Season Passes included in a Pre-Purchase of a deluxe edition.

If developers need to delay an included DLC they get a one-time release date delay by up to three months. If they need longer, they need to contact Valve directly. However, if a DLC in a Season Pass is cancelled, gamers will be "offered a refund for the value of unreleased DLC".

Not a big surprise to see, since it's a much-used feature by plenty of bigger developers. Just like with Advanced Access being a thing, Valve continue moving with what developers are doing. By making it an actual dedicated feature, Valve can ensure some quality-control there for gamers by holding developers to account on repeated delays and cancellations.