bundle and weekly content locked

A #gamedev asked:

"there was at some point a game who wanted to make their release episodic. how this is working for blocking the content, and unlock it once a week 2h of new content, but at the release pays full price, but in reality don't have all the content of the game in that day? what a dev needs to make in steamworks, and how the messaging should be for the gamers about this?"

This has been done before, but it’s also one of the most dangerous release models on Steam if it’s not framed correctly.

HAS THIS BEEN DONE BEFORE?

Yes. Notable examples:

Hitman (2016) - episodic content rollout (commercial backlash at launch)

Kentucky Route Zero - episodic, but price increased over time

Life is Strange - episodic, but episodes clearly defined & priced

Telltale Games – episodic with explicit episode ownership

Early Access games with staged unlocks (safer)

The failures all share one mistake:

Players felt they paid for something that wasn’t there yet without clear framing.

ALL CONTENT SHIPPED, UNLOCKED OVER TIME (SAFE)

How it works

All content is already in the build

You use server-side flags / config / save logic to unlock content weekly

Steam sees it as a complete product

Steamworks setup

One AppID

One build

No DLC required

No updates needed for unlocks

Pros

No refunds issue

No review bombing risk

Steam-compliant

Best for “2h/week unlocks”

Cons

Content technically exists on Day 1 (players could datamine)

This is how most modern “staggered content” games do it.

another option

DLC-BASED EPISODES (RISKY BUT CLEAR)

How it works

Base game

Each episode is a DLC

DLC is set to “Coming Soon”

DLC unlocks weekly

Steamworks setup

Base AppID

Multiple DLC AppIDs

DLC auto-granted if user owns base game

Pros

Very clear ownership

Explicit episode labeling

No ambiguity

Cons

Lots of Steamwork overhead

Each DLC visible = pressure

Risk of “why isn’t it all here?”

Used by:

Telltale

Life is Strange

SHIPPING INCOMPLETE GAME AT FULL PRICE (DON’T)

This is what Hitman 2016 did initially.

Why it failed :

Full price

Content missing

Episodic framing unclear

Players felt tricked

Steam reviews punished this heavily.

Steam players expect:

If it’s full price and not Early Access, the core experience must be complete.

If you ... that expectation:

Refund rate spikes

Reviews focus on “missing content”

Algorithm suppresses you

Even if your plan is good.

The games that survived did three things :

THEY NEVER SAID “ALL CONTENT INCLUDED”

Instead they said:

“Episode 1 launches on Day 1”

“New chapters released weekly”

“This season includes X episodes”

Never imply completeness if it’s staged.

THEY SHOWED A CLEAR STRUCTURE

Good messaging example:

Launch includes Episode 1 (-+6 hours)

Episodes 2–5 unlock weekly

All episodes included in purchase

Clarity removes anger.

THEY DID NOT USE “FULL GAME” LANGUAGE

They avoided:

“Full experience available now”

“Complete story”

“Entire campaign included”

Words matter more than mechanics.

Follow:

Ship a complete core game

Gate additional content as “weekly expansions”

Unlock via config / backend

Market as post-launch content, not missing content

This aligns with:

No Man’s Sky

Dead Cells

Hades

Modern live-but-not-live-service games

SENTENCE TEMPLATE

The game launches as a complete experience, with additional content unlocking weekly at no extra cost.

That sentence avoids every trap.

SAFE LANGUAGE

“Post-launch content unlocks weekly”

“New missions released over time”

“Ongoing content updates included”

DANGEROUS LANGUAGE

“The full game will be available later”

“Content arrives after purchase”

“Episodes coming soon” (unless DLC-based)

You CANNOT create a bundle that includes games you don’t manage in Steamworks unless the other developers explicitly cooperate and grant access.

There is no way to bundle “external” games unilaterally.

Steam does not allow third-party bundling without consent.

What you must do

Contact the other developer(s)

Agree to create a joint bundle

Each developer must:

Opt their app into the bundle

Approve pricing rules

How it works in Steamworks

One party creates the bundle

Other devs approve participation

Revenue is split automatically by Steam

You do NOT need to manage their app

You DO need their approval

You share the same publisher

or

One publisher manages multiple apps

Then:

Publisher can create and manage the bundle

This is common for:

Label collections

Curated series

Studio showcases

What YOU should do (step-by-step)

Step 1 . Contact the devs

Pitch:

Why the bundle helps them

Expected uplift

Discount structure

Timing (sale / Next Fest / theme event)

Step 2 . Agree on terms

Revenue split (Steam handles automatically)

Discount % (usually uniform)

Duration

Step 3 . Create the bundle

One party creates it in Steamworks

Invite the other apps

They approve

Step 4 . Promote via Events

Cross-post Steam Events

Link the bundle everywhere

3–6 games max (conversion drops after that)

Same genre or audience

Similar price range

Clear theme (“Tactical FPS”, “Solo Dev Survival”, etc.)

You invite other studios directly from Steamworks, and they approve inside their own Steamworks.

Valve only reviews the bundle after all parties approve.

ONE STUDIO CREATES THE BUNDLE

Only one Steamworks partner does this.

In Steamworks:

Go to Bundles

Click Create New Bundle

Choose bundle type:

“Complete the Set” (most common)

or “Package” (rare, more complex)

Give it:

Internal name

Public name (can change later)

ADD EXTERNAL GAMES (OTHER STUDIOS)

Inside the bundle editor:

Click Add App

Enter the AppID of the other studio’s game

Add all desired games

⚠️ You do not need to manage their app

⚠️ You cannot force-add them

Steam now marks those apps as:

“Pending approval from partner”

STEAM NOTIFIES THE OTHER STUDIOS

This part is automatic.

What happens:

Steam sends a Steamworks notification to the other partner

The other studio sees:

Bundle name

Included apps

Revenue share

Pricing rules

There is no link you send . Steam handles this internally.

OTHER STUDIOS APPROVE IN STEAMWORKS

The other studio must:

Log into Steamworks

Go to Bundles / Pending approvals

Review the bundle

Click Approve or Reject

They can:

Ask you questions outside Steam

Approve when ready

Reject with no penalty

Nothing goes live until everyone approves.

FINALIZE & SUBMIT

Once all studios approve:

You finalize:

Pricing

Discount rules

Regions

Submit the bundle

Now Valve does a standard review:

Policy compliance

Naming

Pricing sanity

This is usually fast (1–3 business days).

Steam does not introduce you to other devs.

You must:

Contact the other studios first

Explain:

Bundle theme

Timing

Expected benefit

Discount range

Once they say “yes”:

→ you create the bundle and add their AppID.

REVENUE & PRICING (IMPORTANT NOTE)

Steam auto-splits revenue per game price

You cannot manually change revenue shares

Discounts apply uniformly unless negotiated via timing

This keeps things fair and transparent.

Before creating the bundle, send them something like:

We’re putting together a [theme] bundle for [timing].

If you’re interested, we’ll add your AppID and Steam will notify you to approve inside Steamworks.

No extra setup needed on your side.

That’s enough.

QUICK DECISION TABLE

Scenario Use

Multi-dev indie bundle ✅ Complete the Set

Themed genre bundle ✅ Complete the Set

Game + DLC 🟡 Package

Franchise / GOTY 🟡 Package

Festival collab ✅ Complete the Set

PACKAGE (Static bundle) use ONLY in specific cases

What it is

Fixed bundle

User buys everything, even if they already own parts

Old-school bundle behavior

When it makes sense

✔ Franchise bundles

✔ GOTY editions

✔ Deluxe editions

✔ “Game + DLC + Soundtrack”

✔ Single-publisher collections

Why it’s risky for multi-dev

Users hate rebuying games

High refund rates

Lower conversion

Other devs may refuse participation

📌 Avoid for cross-studio bundles.

COMMON BUNDLE MISTAKES

These are the mistakes that kill bundles silently.

Too many games

Ideal: 3–6 games

Bad: 8–12 games

Why:

Price looks overwhelming

Decision fatigue

Conversion drops sharply

Mixed audiences

Do NOT mix:

Hardcore + casual

Single-player + PvP-only

Horror + cozy

Early Access + finished games (usually)

Steam’s algorithm struggles to place the bundle.

Uneven price/value

If one game is:

$30

and others are:

$5–10

It creates:

Perceived unfairness

Dev resentment

Buyer hesitation

Try to keep prices within 2× range.

No clear theme

Bad bundle names:

“Awesome Indie Bundle”

“Developer Friends Pack”

Good bundle names:

“Tactical FPS Collection”

“Neon Action Shooters”

Theme clarity = conversion.

Not coordinating sales timing

If one dev:

forgets to discount

delays approval

changes pricing last minute

→ bundle breaks or underperforms.

Always agree on:

discount %

start/end date

communication plan

Expecting Valve to promote it

Valve does not promote your bundle automatically.

You must:

Post Steam Events

Cross-promote

Coordinate announcements

get one key for the whole bundle, and that key activates all games

Single-publisher packages

Retail box products

Old legacy packages

Internal Valve bundles

In those cases:

One key activates a Package

All apps inside are granted