Players Might Get a Refund for Delayed DLC with Steam's New Season Pass Rules

Valve has taken new actions to guarantee better experiences for Steam users. This time, they've updated the guidelines to add new rules and specifications about Season Pass and DLC content.

The newly added content (first spotted by SteamDB founder Pavel Djundik) defines a Season Pass as "a pack of current and future content (DLC) that customers can buy with a single purchase." Developers are asked to provide basic information about the content included in each DLC as well as the expected release date, which acts as "a commitment to both customers and Steam." It's also made clear that if developers are not ready to provide such information, "you shouldn't offer a Season Pass on Steam."

Because Season Pass contains content to be released in the future, promises might be broken, and delays might occur. Valve is aware of incidents during game development, so when delays are unavoidable, developers are allowed to "self-reschedule the release date one time only during the Season Pass." However, only a date up to three months later than the initial date will be possible, and developers will need to contact Valve directly for a date later than the three-month threshold. 

Valve also warns that a delay of more than three months might be a condition where the platform will take some actions, even if players have not filed complaints. "Actions include removing the Season Pass from sale on Steam, refunding all customers who purchased the Season Pass for the value of unreleased DLC, or allowing customers the option of refunding the entire Season Pass. For the purposes of refunds, the value of unreleased DLC will be decided in discussion with Valve."