Developers now can't change release date on Steam without Valve approval.

[eonden]

I would like to expand that Steam has 2 dates:
A backend date that is not shown to the customer. <- AFFECTED ONE
A display date that can be customized as you want.

For instace, a beginnings of this year, there was a small leak of the backend date (due to changes on information send to the standalone) and you could see the dates most devs wanted to launch in.

 

[Mobyduck]

Yes.

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I would like to expand that Steam has 2 dates:
A backend date that is not shown to the customer. <- AFFECTED ONE
A display date that can be customized as you want.

For instace, a beginnings of this year, there was a small leak of the backend date (due to changes on information send to the standalone) and you could see the dates most devs wanted to launch in.

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Ty, ty.

The front facing display is still completely up to the developer, this is about the internal release date that you directly apply to Valve so you can setup your store page and etc.

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Ty.

 

[Armaros]

As long as devs can still set silly dates ("soonish", "when it's ready" etc.), I'm fine with it. And this seems like a better solution than an automatic one, as long as response time is fast enough.

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The front facing display is still completely up to the developer, this is about the internal release date that you directly apply to Valve so you can setup your store page and etc.

 

[rainking187]

So what happens if Valve denies the change, and when the release date rolls around it doesn't come out?

 

[eonden]

So what happens if Valve denies the change, and when the release date rolls around it doesn't come out?

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Nothing. The only things the date does is:
-Not allow you to press the launch button before it. Any day after the date rolls you are able to launch the game.
-Set up when you are eligible to the "Upcoming games" list (which is the intended exploit they want to remove, where devs clogged the list by changing their release date).

 

[Thrill_house]

Good. Needed to be done.

 

[Chettlar]

I don't really see why a developer should need approval to delay a game, especially on what is lauded as a fairly open platform. The only reason this seems to be an issue is because of the 'Upcoming Releases' section, which should instead take into account the number of delays and potentially remove a game from that section pending review. Whose job is it at Valve to review every single game delay and give the thumbs-up or thumbs-down?

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Wait

You want more automation??

And man you keep on with this idea that Valve will just BLOCK people from a single extension. That obviously is not the intention here and you're being a bit silly.

 

[Ailanthium]

Wait

You want more automation??

And man you keep on with this idea that Valve will just BLOCK people from a single extension. That obviously is not the intention here and you're being a bit silly.

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Of course I don't think they'd block an extension, that's not what I said nor implied. The problem is that a human review (which seems necessary for this very thing) takes time and that it's better to give the developer full control over their own release date. It makes more sense to flag titles which have frequent release date changes automatically (because there is simply too much content on an open platform to constantly monitor) and have a real person take a look at it then and maybe start a dialogue with the developer if it's deemed to be a concern. I think there's a happy middle ground between automation and human review and frankly speaking I don't think this strikes it.

 

[PhleBuster]

Not an unexpected change considering the repeated reports of upcoming release abuse.
As usual, because of a few exploiters it makes things a bit harder for all developers, but it's not a major change either.

Basically you just need to be more aware of the release date you set on Steam, and if you need to delay the release it's best to do that 1-2 weeks ahead of the date or you may be stuck in 'this game should've been released ages ago' state unable to change it, with people bombarding you with questions about why it's not out yet.

My main issue is with the implementation in which rather than the change of date 'requiring approval' like most of the publishing process checks, you actually need to send a manual ticket about the new release date. Just seems amazingly cumbersome for both developers and Steam. I sure hope it's just temporary (but was it really such an acute issue that they needed to rush to disable the entire option instead implementing an approval step for it?)

 

[HangryJacks]

It sucks, hope Steam can find a better solution instead of implement this

 

[WBacon]

This may also be related FTC regulations (at least in the U.S.). I can't find the page that specifically talks to this on ftc.gov, but I recall resellers (and this includes platform holders like Steam/PSN/Xbox/eshop) are required to automatically refund customers who pre-paid for a game if the product slips 30 days beyond the advertised release date.

While Valve provides refunds on pre-purchases at any time and for post-launch titles if playtime is less than two hours & within two weeks of purchase, customers are still required to manually submit the request.

I believe FTC regulation requires stores to automatically refund all pre-order customers if the product release date lapse beyond the 30-day threshold. That can be painful for a reseller who may be hit with whatever credit card or bank processing fees that maybe be associated with the refund process.

Just my hunch.

 

[Deleted member 20831]

I believe FTC regulation requires stores to automatically refund all pre-order customers if the product release date lapse beyond the 30-day threshold. That can be painful for a reseller who may be hit with whatever credit card or bank processing fees that maybe be associated with the refund process.

Just my hunch.

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Wouldn't this FTC regulation also cause problems for pre-order customers who want the product even if the release date lapses beyond the threshold, there by requiring the customer to get the CC/Payment refund and then pre-order the purchase again?

 

[Madjoki]

Steam generally doesn't do pre orders at all.

 

[TSM]

This is a good change. I can imagin a great many smaller, less known, games were impacted by developers abusing their release date to push them out of the the visible upcoming games list.

Steam generally doesn't do pre orders at all.

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I've preordered quite a few games on Steam.

 

[WBacon]

Wouldn't this FTC regulation also cause problems for pre-order customers who want the product even if the release date lapses beyond the threshold, there by requiring the customer to get the CC/Payment refund and then pre-order the purchase again?

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That's my understanding. If customers still want the game, they will need to hop back onto the store and pre-order/pre-purchase again.

Steam generally doesn't do pre orders at all.

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Maybe a clarification is in order.

"Pre-order" is more commonly used for physical goods where you typically pay a small deposit (like $5 at a local GameStop) or pay nothing at all until the product is ready to ship.

"Pre-purchase" on the other hand is a terminology we use for digital games since most platforms require full upfront payment when you 'pre-order' your game.

So to answer your question, Steam offers pre-purchase for most games that are sold on their platform. Not pre-orders.

 

[kurahador]

So...what happens when a game reach its release date but the developer can't deliver?

 

[eonden]

So...what happens when a game reach its release date but the developer can't deliver?

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Here:

Nothing. The only things the date does is:
-Not allow you to press the launch button before it. Any day after the date rolls you are able to launch the game.
-Set up when you are eligible to the "Upcoming games" list (which is the intended exploit they want to remove, where devs clogged the list by changing their release date).

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[Westbahnhof]

I remember seeing a game that kept pushing release like, a day. Every day. Would show up in "upcoming games", on "new releases" twitter bots.. Basically abusing the release date feature for marketing.
Guess people like that ruined it for everyone.

 

[Madjoki]

Maybe a clarification is in order.

"Pre-order" is more commonly used for physical goods where you typically pay a small deposit (like $5 at a local GameStop) or pay nothing at all until the product is ready to ship.

"Pre-purchase" on the other hand is a terminology we use for digital games since most platforms require full upfront payment when you 'pre-order' your game.

So to answer your question, Steam offers pre-purchase for most games that are sold on their platform. Not pre-orders.

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What I mean, Valve doesn't allow indies etc. which would be more risky of delays if they had preorders purchases.

 

[WBacon]

What I mean, Valve doesn't allow indies etc. which would be more risky of delays if they had preorders purchases.

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I can agree with that. I think independent developers have some more leeway and control (or lack of control depending on how you look at it) on when to release the game. Valve still can be impacted by that for the reason I noted earlier.

Larger and publicly traded companies rarely move or miss dates since it affects stock price, distribution partners, and/or other partnership-related commitments.

 

[Madjoki]

https://steamcommunity.com/groups/steamworks/announcements/detail/1595883107395323259

Official announcement.