Steam is implementing new rules around season passes that should make DLC more consumer friendly but may also be a thorn in the side to a lot of indie devs looking to use the season pass model. Pavel Djundik,

It's going to be a lot easier for players to get refunds after Steam lays down new rules for season passes and DLC.

Valve has updated its guidelines for season passes, including new rules regarding release schedules. As listed on Steamworks, developers and publishers must commit to a release date for season pass content. It suggests if a developer is not "ready to clearly communicate" about launch timing, then a season pass shouldn't be offered on the platform.

Season passes are one of the most common ways to generate revenue for games such as Fortnite or Call of Duty that want players to keep returning day after day, month after month. This week, PC game platform Steam has rolled out support for this monetization approach.

You shouldn’t pre-order games, but people do it all the time anyway. Increasingly, people have gotten in the habit of pre-ordering DLC too, paying up front for content that won’t be delivered for months or even years,

If you aren’t ready to clearly communicate about the content included in each DLC AND when each DLC will be ready for launch, you shouldn’t offer a Season Pass on Steam,” Valve wrote in the documentation.

Valve says video game developers ‘shouldn’t offer a Season Pass’ if they aren’t ready to clearly communicate what’s included in the DLC.

Valve is implementing some new ground rules for how developers can offer Season Pass and DLC content on Steam, including rules aimed at cracking down on indefinite Season Pass delays, unfulfilled promises,