Steam’s Refund Policy Has Forced Indie Horror Dev to Quit Indefinitely
Steam’s refund policy has pushed an indie horror game developer to quit indefinitely. When the policy was first launched a few years ago, it sounded like a good idea—and it still does—especially from a consumer’s point of view. However, it has now become the reason why Summer of ‘58 maker Emika Games decided to leave the industry for a while.
“Thank you for your support!” wrote the devs on social media. “I am leaving game development for an indefinite time to collect my thoughts.”
The issue boils down to the fact that anyone who has bought the game on their PCs via Steam can ask for refunds, no questions asked, on any game that they have downloaded for less than two weeks—as long as they have only clocked no more than two hours within the game. Unfortunately for Emika Games, Summer of ‘58 is a survival horror game that has a relatively short playthrough time—just about 90 minutes on average. With that said, anyone who has bought it, and played the entirety of the game, can simply ask for a refund. Looking at Emika Games’s reaction, it looks like that is what has been happening since the game’s July release.
“The fact is that my game, Summer of ‘58, does not reach two hours of playing time by Steam standards,” their statement read. “In this regard, a huge number of returns on the game—even with positive reviews. I do not earn anything to create a new game.” Another horror game from Emika Games that is currently in development, From Day To Day, will reportedly “not see the light of day in the near future.”
The issue with Steam’s refund policy is not a problem for bigger gaming franchises, with two hours simply not enough to scratch the surface. However, it has turned into a frustrating loophole for the much smaller indie games that are in the market today.