Steam’s “refund for less than two hours of play” policy has always been regarded as quite Buddhist by many players. However, an independent developer recently said that this system is gradually being exploited by some players, and even regards refunds as a way to “play games for free.” He emphasized that he supports the refund system, but that does not mean he supports someone who finishes playing, gives positive reviews, and finally gets their money back.
I 100% support refunds, but I don’t use them to play for free!
Mateo Covic, who developed the short indie game “Paddle Paddle Paddle”, has recently caused heated discussion for criticizing Steam’s refund mechanism. In a recent interview with GamesRadar, he once again clarified that he “100% supports refunds.” He believes that if players encounter situations such as game content that does not match store descriptions, serious technical problems, etc., they should certainly receive refunds.
But what he really wants to criticize is another situation where some players have played the game completely, left positive reviews, and even publicly stated that it was “very fun”, but finally took advantage of Steam’s two-hour refund rule to cancel the game. He believes that this has violated the original intention of the refund system and may also make fewer developers willing to make games with a shorter process.
One sentence set off the fire, and I accepted it and learned the lesson.
Covic said that his game has sold about 270,000 units so far, and the refund rate is about 20%. In fact, it has not affected the overall performance of the work. He also knows that such works are prone to high refund rates. He admitted that the way he spoke at the time was indeed immature. Not only did he receive a large number of abusive messages, but the game was also bombarded with negative reviews, so he will be more cautious in his future statements.
This controversy has once again sparked discussion among players. There is still no clear answer as to whether Steam’s refund policy should be adjusted for short-form games. But at least one thing everyone agrees on is that the refund system is meant to protect consumers, rather than becoming a free experience coupon that can be “returned after playing.”