Steam has earned itself a great reputation among the gaming community. So much so that, although we are obviously talking about a meme, the hallowed image of Gabe Newell, the founder of Valve, the creator of some titles that will go down in history as the best and, of course, the founder and permanent overseer of the main digital store of PC games reflects that, unlike many big managers in this sector you can be on the user side and charge a huge amount of money at the same time.

In line with this philosophy, Valve has decided to modify its store rules to further protect users. This time, the focus is on the controversial season ticketswith new rules that seek to guarantee greater transparency and accountability on the part of developers.

Season passes have been a common bet for developers to monetize additional content, offering access to future expansions and upgrades at a reduced price. However, This practice has drawn criticism for its lack of clarity and failure to keep promises. who often accompanied them. Endless delays, content that never arrives or, even worse, features that appear to be part of the base game sold as add-ons are some of the abuses that have undermined players’ confidence in the model.

In the fight against these practices Valve has implemented a number of clear rules on Steam. From now on, developers offering season passes will be required to provide a detailed list of included content, along with basic descriptions and expected release dates. In addition, at least one content must be available at the time the pass is purchased. If content is delayed, developers will be able to reschedule it once, but only with a maximum margin of three months, and if any promised item is cancelled, users will receive a prorated refund for the undelivered content.

They are looking for these measures eliminate the uncertainty that often surrounds seasonal inputsensuring that players know exactly what they are buying and that they receive what was promised on time. With this step, Valve strengthens its position as a guarantor of trust in digital distribution.

This isn’t the first time Valve has made decisions with users in mind. FROM in 2015 it introduces a refund policyto measures to combat fraudulent content or unfair practices, Steam has established itself as one of the most reliable platforms for the gaming community. These policies set a standard that many other platforms have tried to emulate, but few have matched. With these new rules, Valve shows that it is not satisfied with leading the market, but also wants to be an example of good practice. Will this be the next step towards a standard of transparency that inspires others?