Total Biscuit collects feedback from developers on Steam Refunds (video).
Total Biscuit collects feedback from developers on Steam Refunds (video).
Total Biscuit handles these topics very well. It seems I didn’t have any disagreement with just about anything he mentioned in the video.
I agree. The main advantage of the refund policy is that it pushes unethical developers away from the market. It benefits gamers by safeguarding them against poor-quality games. It helps Valve by boosting game quality on their platform. It also supports genuine creators by building trust with players. The only opponents would be bad developers who produce low-quality content or attempt to deceive players.
I would really like this scenario to happen, but it’s easy to imagine a situation where a company drops a playable demo before the official launch. That could lead people to pre-order, only to discover the final product isn’t as refined or matches the demo’s quality. This might also apply to early access titles that get dropped. It would harm the company’s image, though many users wouldn’t mind and would simply stop playing. I believe the existing system is reasonable because I’ve experienced games that didn’t fit my setup, were poorly built, or clashed with certain hardware. It would have been nice to test a short time to see if adjustments could be made, then return it if needed. A clear example is Dark Souls on Steam—it’s often broken, but you can find patches and tweak settings until it works for you. If you lacked the skills or thought it wasn’t worth your effort, returning within two hours would have been an option. EDIT: I should also note they need to allow refunds after a set period, even if it’s still usable.
Absolutely. I personally do not think Valve should change anything. But of course if they need to - hopefully it won't somehow make developers who make crap games exempt. And pre-orders make zero sense to me unless there is a large in-game "perk". Even then.... I wish it was just not a thing. Now, even if there was a pre-order, I wonder how steam handles it? Does anyone know? Logically I'd think that the "14 days" would not apply until after you download the pre-ordered game? Actually - does steam even charge you until the game is released?
Excited to notice so many genuine developers engaging respectfully, while the flash game porters should stay out of this discussion as I've talked about before.