Shenmue 3 Backers Getting Refund from Epic Store
Backers of Shenmue III are now getting refund for Steam version by none other than, Epic Games Store.
Long after going through Kickstarter to crowdfund then stuck in development for years than promised, long-awaited action-adventure game Shenmue III is finally set to arrive on November 19, 2019 for PC and PlayStation 4 platforms.
A new gameplay trailer at PC Gaming Show 2019 revealed PC version of the game is now an Epic Games Store-exclusive and backers are denied a refund for this change, causing backlash but Epic Games has come to their rescue now.
RELATED: Shenmue 3 Epic Store Exclusivity Creates Kickstarter Controversy
If moving over to Epic Store for PC version was not frustrating enough for majority of backers, developer Ys Net and publisher Deep Silver managed to infuriate them by not allowing a refund though their initial response on their official Kickstarter page.
Shenmue creator Yu Suzuki came under heavy backlash as well for promising to provide Steam keys and then switching to EGS, effectively forcing everyone to play it on a storefront that many are not comfortable with for various shady reasons.
RELATED: Last Day of June Free on Epic Games Store Now
In a latest Kickstarter update, developers try to justify their action of shifting outlet by pointing that they couldn't provide Steam keys because of sales policies by Valve, which requires a game to be on their storefront for sale to generate keys.
Physical version will come in a disc with EGS code or they can wait for a year to receive a Steam key after exclusivity period ends. People can also choose to pick a PS4 version if they don't want to redeem digital code for Epic Games Store or just get a refund.
RELATED: Shenmue 3 Won't Cover Ryo's Complete Story
However, higher tier backers are not getting full refund but only partial because many of stretch goal for Shenmue III are already implemented in the game and developers currently working on some post-launch content too.
When people funds video game projects on crowdfunding platforms, they place a huge trust on developers that they don't have for AAA-companies and Ys Net has completely broke that trust with their recent bait and switch act on consumers.
RELATED: Borderlands 3 and Vampire: Bloodlines 2 Pulled from Epic Mega Sale
CEO of Epic Games, Tim Sweeney clarified their position on offering full refund to upset backers on behalf of Ys Net.
RELATED: Epic Games Acquires Psyonix
Now, Sweeney can expect to get some praise from people for handling a grieving situation but not everyone is ready to forget the fact here that whatever major backlash sparked was because of Epic Store trying to snag out another exclusive.
His follow-up Tweet says when they go after crowdfunded games that are successful in future, they would at least ensure that there are keys from other PC stores available to offer or a guaranteed refund and it is nothing but a subtle hint that they will.
RELATED: Shenmue 3 Delayed to November 2019
We are not sure what Shenmue developer Yu Suzuki was thinking about going EGS-exclusive and not even worrying about fans who supported him whereas parent company Sega didn't want to make a sequel because it made no significant business.
Shenmue III has proven to all that Kickstarter can literally do nothing in getting people their money back in situation like this and Tim Sweeney just clearly hinted that parties will advertise their games on Steam only for Epic to snag it later.
Long after going through Kickstarter to crowdfund then stuck in development for years than promised, long-awaited action-adventure game Shenmue III is finally set to arrive on November 19, 2019 for PC and PlayStation 4 platforms.
A new gameplay trailer at PC Gaming Show 2019 revealed PC version of the game is now an Epic Games Store-exclusive and backers are denied a refund for this change, causing backlash but Epic Games has come to their rescue now.
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| Shenmue 3 Backers Getting Refund from Epic Store |
RELATED: Shenmue 3 Epic Store Exclusivity Creates Kickstarter Controversy
If moving over to Epic Store for PC version was not frustrating enough for majority of backers, developer Ys Net and publisher Deep Silver managed to infuriate them by not allowing a refund though their initial response on their official Kickstarter page.
Shenmue creator Yu Suzuki came under heavy backlash as well for promising to provide Steam keys and then switching to EGS, effectively forcing everyone to play it on a storefront that many are not comfortable with for various shady reasons.
RELATED: Last Day of June Free on Epic Games Store Now
In a latest Kickstarter update, developers try to justify their action of shifting outlet by pointing that they couldn't provide Steam keys because of sales policies by Valve, which requires a game to be on their storefront for sale to generate keys.
Physical version will come in a disc with EGS code or they can wait for a year to receive a Steam key after exclusivity period ends. People can also choose to pick a PS4 version if they don't want to redeem digital code for Epic Games Store or just get a refund.
RELATED: Shenmue 3 Won't Cover Ryo's Complete Story
However, higher tier backers are not getting full refund but only partial because many of stretch goal for Shenmue III are already implemented in the game and developers currently working on some post-launch content too.
When people funds video game projects on crowdfunding platforms, they place a huge trust on developers that they don't have for AAA-companies and Ys Net has completely broke that trust with their recent bait and switch act on consumers.
RELATED: Borderlands 3 and Vampire: Bloodlines 2 Pulled from Epic Mega Sale
CEO of Epic Games, Tim Sweeney clarified their position on offering full refund to upset backers on behalf of Ys Net.
When future games go Epic-exclusive after offering crowdfunding rewards on other PC stores, we’ll either coordinate with colleagues at the other stores to ensure key availability in advance, or guarantee refunds at announcement time.— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) July 2, 2019
RELATED: Epic Games Acquires Psyonix
Now, Sweeney can expect to get some praise from people for handling a grieving situation but not everyone is ready to forget the fact here that whatever major backlash sparked was because of Epic Store trying to snag out another exclusive.
His follow-up Tweet says when they go after crowdfunded games that are successful in future, they would at least ensure that there are keys from other PC stores available to offer or a guaranteed refund and it is nothing but a subtle hint that they will.
RELATED: Shenmue 3 Delayed to November 2019
We are not sure what Shenmue developer Yu Suzuki was thinking about going EGS-exclusive and not even worrying about fans who supported him whereas parent company Sega didn't want to make a sequel because it made no significant business.
Shenmue III has proven to all that Kickstarter can literally do nothing in getting people their money back in situation like this and Tim Sweeney just clearly hinted that parties will advertise their games on Steam only for Epic to snag it later.
