Steam's two-hour refund policy leads to indie developer quitting game development Eurogamer.net If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. Steam's two-hour refund policy leads to indie developer quitting game development This is why we can't have nice things. News by Ishraq Subhan Reporter Updated on 27 Aug 2021 174 comments A new debate has erupted surrounding Steam's two-hour refund policy. If you weren't aware, Steam offers a refund for all game purchases, no questions asked, as long as your playtime is less than two hours and it's within two weeks of purchase. It's a ‌pro-consumer policy (or a cost-effective way to reduce the number of customer service staff, depending on who you ask), and the two-hour playtime threshold is intended to stop less trustworthy consumers from exploiting it. Watch on YouTube But while most AAA games easily exceed the two-hour length (looking at you, Assassin's Creed Valhalla), smaller indie games with short stories can fall short. This potentially leads to a situation where players can finish a game and return it within two hours. That's the exact situation faced by indie developer Emika Games, who recently released Summer of '58, a psychological thriller that's received an overall rating of Very Positive on Steam. Unfortunately, the game can be completed in about 90 minutes, which leaves plenty of time for players to exploit Steam's refund policy. In a statement posted on Twitter, the developer said they are "leaving game development" and referenced that they aren't earning enough to develop more games because of the high amount of refunds. Friends! Thank you for your support! I'm leaving game development for an indefinite time to collect my thoughts. pic.twitter.com/q93NxWjyUI- EMIKA_GAMES (@EmikaGames) August 26, 2021 To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Manage cookie settings It's an unfortunate situation where a consumer-friendly policy is harming the very developers who can least afford to be losing sales. It's also a difficult problem to fix. Reducing the threshold from two hours will only hurt consumers getting through extremely long AAA releases. Steam could potentially have a separate policy for shorter indie games, but that would require additional staff to verify that games are indeed shorter, which Valve is unlikely to do. Another potential technical workaround is using Steam achievements as a signifier of game completion. If a player gets the final achievement for finishing the story, the option to return the game could be removed. How do you think this could be resolved that strikes the right balance between consumer rights and security for developers? Become a Eurogamer subscriber and get your first month for £1 Get your first month for £1 (normally £3.99) when you buy a Standard Eurogamer subscription. Enjoy ad-free browsing, merch discounts, our monthly letter from the editor, and show your support with a supporter-exclusive comment flair! Support us View supporter archive More News Google announces cloud gaming Chromebooks less than a fortnight after Stadia shutdown GeForce Now preinstalled. 4 Atari will hold RollerCoaster Tycoon rights for another decade Ups and downs. 7 Lady Dimitrescu will be a tad smaller in Resident Evil Village's Mercenaries DLC Level the playing field. 1 Overwatch 2 suffers another DDoS attack and character roster bugs Mei Mei. 13 Latest Articles Digital Foundry Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090: a new level in graphics performance The Digital Foundry video review - and how the new GPU champion delivers for 4K 120fps gaming. Google announces cloud gaming Chromebooks less than a fortnight after Stadia shutdown GeForce Now preinstalled. 4 Feature Evercore Heroes wants to wind people up the right way "There's less rage at them, because they didn't end your fun." Genshin Impact Path of Gleaming Jade dates, login event rewards Including other anniversary rewards and how to claim them. Supporters Only Premium only Off Topic: Take a minute to appreciate Cookin' with Coolio's incredible scallops recipe. What a great book. Premium only Off Topic: Reading City of Glass in comic form "Where exactly am I going?" Premium only Off Topic: Il Buco is a transporting film about a really big hole Underlands. Off-Topic Netflix handled Sandman brilliantly It was Dreamy. 9 Buy things with globes on them And other lovely Eurogamer merch in our official store! Explore our store