So what can we learn from this situation?ĭevelopers, especially smaller developers working on single-player games, have much more at stake when it comes to the refund policy. At the end, if this was a commercial failure, all we have got is what we have made. All we could do, was try the damn hardest to make something we are honestly proud of. We all gave it our all, to make this weird thing, and we had no idea if it was any good to anybody else. I have been in this industry for 15 years almost, and this is the hardest I have ever worked. The dev team got to be like family, because that's how making an indie game is, you are all in it together, through thick and thin, supporting one another bc if you don't, there is no way in hell this game would get made, let alone any chance of it to be worth more than a bucket of ♥♥♥♥. Life happened during those two years: there were big breakups, profound illnesses of loved ones, a baby, etc. It is just a small room full of computers and a used microwave and $10 office chairs we luckily got from craigslist. It is not a glamorous thing, making an independent game. We are all crammed in a tiny office, sharing one bathroom. Let's give this a go, worst outcome is we all hate each other and go back to various money jobs, but we all could say, WE TRIED. We seemed to like each other ok, so we all took a big leap of faith. We all could have had much better paying jobs elsewhere, but we all thought this game idea had potential to be something special. The 11 of us all took a lot of risk to make this, and sacrificed financially to give Firewatch a chance. It's worth reading the entire response, but here is a taste (again, without any edits on my part): One of the developers of the game actually responded, and offered a look at what it's like to create a game like Firewatch. I've edited out the names and images, but here's a quick selection of what a search for " Firewatch" and "refund" got me yesterday on Twitter: Firewatch was purchased, played and enjoyed, and the great sin is that it wasn't a bit longer? I don't even want to pick on this one individual, because social media is filled with people thinking they can, and should, get a refund for not liking the game. The addition of a refund policy to Steam is a step forward, and developers should absolutely be aware their customers can take advantage of it if they themselves feel taken advantage of.īut this isn't that situation. The game was released, it didn't work and people got their money back.Īrkham Knight was ultimately pulled from Steam while it was fixed, and it's possible that decision would never have been made if the ability to get your money back didn't exist. There used to be very little recourse available to players if they purchased a game that didn't work or wasn't what was advertised, and Steam's refund policy has already been helpful the situation with the PC version of Batman: Arkham Knight is the perfect example. If you fail to meet those qualifications - and the person above has played for longer than two hours - you can still request a refund and possibly, or even likely, get it. Valve's refund policy is famously liberal: You can get a refund for any reason as long as you've purchased the game within 14 days and have played for under two hours. The fan has since decided to hold onto the game after one of Firewatch's developers posted a personal message, but the larger point here is the following, and I'll make it short: What the living hell? You can get a refund for any game I mean seriously, have you seen how active they are on theese forums? What other dev is that connected to their community? I want to support the developers, but there was so much more i could of got with my 18$. It was a unique game with awesome narration and storytelling. But here is my problem: I loved this game. I feel like there could of been more, and im thinking of refunding. I purchased it because i enjoyed games like this. Here is part of the note they posted on Steam, without any edits: So this game was 18$. Do you want something that's going to last, or do you want to be told a story? Do you want to do something, or feel something? Or both? One fan of Campo Santo's Firewatch loved the game, but was thinking about getting their money back due to its length. It seems like a simple question, but it has many answers.
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