Steam, Amazon and PSN are reported to be handing out refunds for epic science fiction video game No Man's Sky even after many hours of recorded game time.
Indie video game No Man's Sky has had one of the rockiest video game launches in recent years. From poor interface choices, dull and boring gameplay since players are virtually alone in their universe, to stutters, fps drops and game-crashing bugs, users have had plenty to complain about the expansive game that promised 18 quintillion planets for players to explore.
The PC port's poor performance, even on high-end rigs running on GTX 980Tis and 1080s, is reflected in its three-out-of-five rating on both Steam and Amazon. Its PS4 port, due to fewer issues and a stable 30fps, managed 4.2 out 5 for PlayStation.
No Man's Sky's Steam and Amazon page is filled with furious player comments. Players also took to Reddit and opened several threads on a multiple subreddits to air their bad experiences with the game. And while the rants fall on a plethora of issues, players are united in their call for a refund of the $60 they spent to purchase the game.
Hello Games, developer and publisher of No Man's Sky, tried to address some key issues by releasing several patches since the game launch three weeks ago. However, majority of players still want their money back. Note that through Steam alone, No Man's Sky sold almost 800,000 copies, which is still a lot considering that the game's sales dropped by 81 percent two weeks after its release.
Bear in mind that Steam's refund policy specifies that refunds apply "within fourteen days of purchase, and if the underlying title has been played for less than two hours" after the content was purchased. PlayStation, on the other hand, has the same 14-day policy but refunds are only valid to those who have yet to download or stream the game.
While most gamers weren't too optimistic regarding refunds, especially those that have charted more than two hours of No Man's Sky game time on Steam, some users reported that they got refunds even after 72 hours of recorded game time on Steam. Instances of refunds even after substantial hours have also been reported for PSN. Those who got their copies from Amazon also report of the retailer catering to refunds.
"Just heard on a random twitch channel they're giving refund so I gave it a shot even though I tried the day it came out, AND HOLY [S**T] IT WORKED," says redditor whaaatcrazy after allegedly getting a refund from Steam. "I should mention I had 8 hours in the game, and a negative review."
"I received a full refund from Amazon on one of my two copies (grandson still liked playing it, so we kept one)," shares redditor unreqistered.
"I just got the funds refunded back to my PSN wallet," redditor VALAR_M0RGHUL1S explains.
If the retailers respond with contacting Hello Games to get a refund, proceed to point out that the developer/publisher specifies that payment-related issues should be dealt with by the suppliers at point of sale/retailers — Sony, Steam or Amazon. For PSN, PlayStation's cancellation policy allows for faulty content to be returned.
Note that some people, allegedly, have had to send their refund requests in multiple tickets before they were approved for a refund. However, as per players' suggestion, the easiest and quickest way is to get in touch with the retailers' live support if available. Needless to say, handling things in a nice and calm manner will get you further.
