A 2-Hour Time Limit Just Doesn’t Sit Well with at Least One Developer
Xbox just went about releasing their consumer-friendly refund plan for Xbox and Windows 10 stores. While players may find solace in this decision, The Chinese Room had a few choice words for the new plan. Known for titles Dear Esther, Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs and Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture, the dev is also known for their outspokenness.
These are the same people that accused CD Projekt RED of sexism in Witcher 3. So, it may not be surprising that they took to twitter and shared their criticism of the new program:
Bit depressed about Xbox jumping on the 2hr refund BOLLOCKS ARSEHOLE WHY WHY WHY YOU FOOLS CANNOT SUSTAIN NORMAL TEMPER WTF MODERN CULTURE
— The Chinese Room (@ChineseRoom) April 13, 2017
It’s REALLY simple. Refunds should operate off a percentage of game completed. Simple, fair, representative. This 2 hour thing is just cock
— The Chinese Room (@ChineseRoom) April 13, 2017
Despite The Chinese Room’s tantrum, their argument is not without merit. It supports Garry Newman, the creator of Garry’s Mod and Rust, who jumped in pointed out that his own Gary’s Mod could take two minutes to complete. Thus, he jokingly suggested that players must spend six seconds playing before qualifying for a refund.
@garrynewman BOOM. I’m in
— The Chinese Room (@ChineseRoom) April 13, 2017
Eventually, The Chinese Room used another example–of which there are probably many–to highlight the flaw in the new refund plan. He used Silent Hill 2 to make his case, relaying how the game can be half-way finished in a 2-hour time limit.
For reference, you can get nearly halfway through Silent Hill in 2 hours. If you need to play 50% of a game to figure out if you like it…
— The Chinese Room (@ChineseRoom) April 13, 2017
We suspected there would be developer backlash toward the Xbox Self-Service Refund Plan, and time will tell if this is just the beginning. Let us know your thoughts on this turn of events and Xbox’s initiative. Does the plan make sense to you? Comment down below. Then check back to see how events unfold at COGconnected. Happy gaming.