The debacle surrounding Cyberpunk 2077 has, not for the first time, highlighted a gaping flaw in the PlayStation Store. We’ve talked about refunds before – amusingly, when No Man’s Sky was underfire for failing to deliver on its promises – but another anticipated title has fallen short of expectations, and so here we are again.
Sony’s official policy is as such: if you purchase a game from the PS Store and don’t download it, you’ll be eligible for a refund assuming you request your money back within 14 days. It’s an unbelievably weak stance – especially when you consider that pre-orders automatically download prior to release these days, anyway.
For comparison, Steam will issue a refund on any purchase, as long as your play time doesn’t exceed two hours and you request your money back within 14 days. Google Stadia’s return policy is identical. Both are infinitely more reasonable than the policy PlayStation has in place, where even downloading the game – but never booting it – can revoke your eligibility for a refund.
Worse still, the Japanese giant’s approach is all over the place. Over the weekend there were numerous reports of disgruntled Cyberpunk 2077 owners receiving refunds; today, things appear to have swung the other way. It’s likely that customer service representatives have been told to stop issuing refunds for the title, but that reflects badly on everyone.
The entire situation’s a mess: CD Projekt RED’s statement was purposefully vague, but it certainly alluded to the fact that refunds would be eligible through the PS Store. If that’s the case, then why is Sony now denying them? Could it be that the Polish company, irresponsibly, published the comments without even contacting the platform holder and consulting the firm on its stance?
That seems unthinkable, but make no mistake, no one comes out of this fiasco looking good. Sony’s inconsistent approach to refunds is outright confusing; if some customers have already received refunds for Cyberpunk 2077 – as has been proven by multiple users on Reddit – then why is it now stopping others from returning the title? It needs to be consistent here.
CD Projekt RED, also, should not be trying to pass the buck. Today it apologised for not showing PS4 footage of the RPG prior to release; we’d been in constant communication with the company months ago, and we didn’t get review code until hours before launch. That was clearly a calculated decision, and the management can’t handwave that away.
The only good that can possibly come from this debacle is if it forces Sony to take a longer, harder look at its refund policy and make some meaningful decisions moving forwards. Its existing stipulations seem miserly in an era where the PS5 Digital Edition exists, and there’s clearly no consistency to the way it’s implementing them anyway.
Obviously, as consumers we can all be a bit more proactive with how we spend our money, and perhaps this is yet another strike against the dreaded “pre-order culture” that we’re all guilty of falling victim, too. But all of these companies – whether it’s Sony, CD Projekt RED, or another party – want our hard-earned cash, and it’s now up to them to regain our trust.
How do you feel about Sony’s returns policy for PS Store purchases right now? What do you think would be a fairer approach? Have you tried and failed to get your money back for Cyberpunk 2077? Request a refund in the comments section below.
Comments (99)
I think the Steam method is pretty good and fair for consumers. I can think of a bunch of games I would refund before the 2 hour mark...
But I doubt Sony will do anything about it.
This is probably the one thing we can all agree on I think. Sony needs a fairer return policy. After all it's not just about pre-orders. Everyone's bought a game, I'm sure, where the instant they started playing it they knew they'd made a mistake. Being stuck with it when you'd gladly give up the ability to play it is really silly in this age of digitally dominated sales.
Sony needs a return policy, the steam model is flawed imo. But yes, Sony still needs a policy, but not because of this debacle. Just in general.
yeah Sony.! this is the time to step it up and love us customers just a tiny bit more considering all the time and money I give in return.
Copy Steam would be good start. Really should be an industry wide standard that all agree to implement.
They done it earlier for “safe gaming” so why not protect people with industry wide agreement in refunds as well for terrible launched games etc
Just speaking from personal experience, I've very much limited myself to what I buy from the playstation store. If they had a decent return policy in place, or ANY return policy, I would probably have spent 4-5 times as much money as I already have.
A proper, reliable refund policy is the only thing that would even have me considering going digital. I’m stubbornly old school when it comes to buying physical media but this would certainly be a step in the right direction. As the article states, maybe something good will come out of this and Sony will get their act together in this regard. Here’s hoping
If a game has never been installed and only a reasonable amount of time has passed then it should be a no questions asked return. When the developer of said game is offering the refund then it should be a no questions asked return. Maybe a tiered policy of some kind outside of that.
Isn't the all digital life great. To be fair I don't know if a retail physical copies are doing any better on return's.
The policy they tend to stick to is a "one time courtesy" refund. I had mine 3-4 years ago and that was it. It's ridiculous, especially if they're wanting to move into a majority digital future.
Stop pre-ordering games.
Super true, just copy steam policy 100% and we're good. And it will have added effect of preventing some shady publishers release a buggy game and/or misleading trailers, because then player can just return it after they saw the game.
It annoys me that we can't get a refund once a game has been downloaded. Sony obviously has access to our play stats, so they can see if we've started the game or not. They definitely need to update their policy though. I tried to get a refund for Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning because there was a glitch that made the game unplayable after roughly 30 hours of playtime, but after a long back and fourth with Sony's support I just gave up and decided to wait for THQ Nordic to patch it, which they thankfully did.
Not to be the company man here but a lot of places that sell video games don’t have refund policies. If I buy a game from Walmart and I open it up and play it I can never get a refund. They’ll give me the same game if it’s broken but they won’t give me back the money.
Who’s the say some speed runner doesn’t run through a game then refund it? I think that’s the precaution that these companies take to spare themselves of things like that.
ABSOLUTELY.
PSN refund policy is just embarrassing.
Meanwhile GOG give you 30 days refund guaranty and Steam 15d/2h.
Another reason why i always go physical when is an option.
Don't like it? Return, resale or trade.
The PS Store needs a lot of fixing. Like, Uncharted 4 not being available to purchase for me because I used to have the physical copy and downloaded some petty outfit add-ons. Just like that I'm not allowed to repurchase Uncharted 4... ever 😆😆
You think Sony's refund policy is bad? Look at little old Nintendo.
I pre-ordered something once on the PS Store that wasn't out for months and they denied the refund request I put in the next day. I have received an enormous amount of entertainment from Sony's hardware and software, but their customer service policies can be atrociously lackluster.
They should really have more demos like they used to so you can try before you buy
@TheArt Are you on a PS4 or 5?
I dont see the problem here. They dont want people to download a game, beat it in a few days, then ask for a refund. Makes sense to me. So many articles and comments around here have been so anti Sony the past few months. I guess people just like to whine about everything.
TBH I don't have a problem with PSN's return policy. If you buy a game that you don't know what it's about/like, then it's kinda on you if you end up not liking it and have buyer's remorse.
@ TG16_IS_BAE, i agree.
I could go on and on about needed policies, consumer laws needed, and companies that release broken games. However we the consumer can do a lot with when we purchase a game, if we pre-order, and how we react to hype.
My advice is stop pre-ordering, stop purchasing until reviews of actual game play is available, and stop falling for the hype.
is this literally?
@TG16_IS_BAE 7 years later, haven't pre ordered a bad game.
ooofff
I must be god or something
@JohnKarnes imagine buying a pass to stream it...
Steam’s isn’t perfect but it’s decent enough. I’d start with that.
@TG16_IS_BAE Except this has nothing to do with buying a game that's already released that you wish you could return. OnRush is that game for me. Ticked all the boxes of a game I should like but it was still trash. Similar situation with RDR2 as well. I even waited until it was like 70% off but still wish I could get my money back.
Honestly, the few times I do pre-order, I'm perfectly happy with the game when it releases because I knew I wanted it. It's those unknowns where it would be nice if the PS store had a legitimate return policy.
Steam's refund policy is the bare minimum that should be offered by any service that allows you to purchase digital video games.
Way I see it the fault is the consumers if they Preorder a game l, it's reckless and doesn't involve Due Diligence like people should be making with all purchases, Of course Sony doesn't wanna give back millions of dollars for what is still a playable game
@Milktastrophe It's not just the fact that if you want to return a game you tried and don't like it, then you're stuck with it. If you download a game and it is unplayable (not just in this case), then you're stuck with it. If you bought a physical copy and it was defective, you would likely be able to return it. It can happen for no reason where a minority of people have an issue with a certain game on their consoles when others don't. Regardless, it's pretty bad when they completely refuse to offer a refund once you download a game, even if you don't play it at all. Microsoft has given me a refund every time I've asked for one from them (only 3 times, but still).
@Subsided No, it's an absolutely horrible return policy by Sony with PSN. If you pre-order a physical copy, you can cancel it as long as it hasn't shipped. With PSN, you have a whopping 14 days after you place your pre-order to cancel it. You can try to get a refund on a game that's already released, but only if you haven't downloaded it yet. You shouldn't be stuck with a game if you haven't even tried a game yet, but also in this particular case, you should also have the opportunity to ask for a refund when the game is a debacle on base consoles. In the end, Microsoft has the complete opposite of a return policy, and they would be the only company I'd be willing to go all-digital with because of the return policies. I'll just get as many games physically as I can for my PS5.
@Subsided Ah yes. Putting the blame back on the consumer. The people who are trying to get their money aren't just the people who pre-ordered. There are people who did their due diligence and still don't enjoy that now want their money back...
It only Nintendo and Sony ( lol. Both Japanese companies) with terrible return policies. Every one else Microsoft, Steam... rofl even Stadia that have a decent return policy.
@Floki those other people did their due diligence and still bought, tough for them, they made their choice
@KilloWertz then you shouldn't preorder if you have a problem with their preorder policy, you can order the day before and it wouldn't make a difference, digital doesn't sell out
@Bentleyma- Playstation 4.
@KilloWertz You can cancel a pre-order anytime up until release. I have done it many times!
@TheArt Hmmm that's strange. I've managed to download several games digitally that I once owned on disc. Have you tried doing it through the app or web browser?
If you bought anything else and got it home to find it was broken, you'd rightfully demand and expect a refund. And consumer laws protect you with that.
I don't see why software should be any different, particularly when the developer of said product, some might say, was intentionally less than truthful about the quality of the product. It's not helped by the fact that - unless Sony has changed their stance (i dont know, as i don't pre-order digital titles) - they take money immediately on pre-order; making it very difficult for the consumer to cancel.
Whilst there is definitely an argument against consumers preordering digital titles - at the end of the day the store doesn't have a finite number of copies - that ignores the fact that many rely on digital pre-loads in areas where their internet connection may be slower. So i can understand to an extent why people do it.
It all comes together to make a perfect storm and i think Sony are definitely in the wrong if they are not prepared to refund customers in this particular instance. This isn't a case of people trying to rip them off or game the system. This is a case of a game that was not shown running on playstation 4 hardware before launch, and in which reviewers were instructed to use curated b-roll footage, taken in controlled environments to demonstrate the game running on each platform. CDPR should be ashamed.
Long story short:
1. CDPR has misled customers over what they can reasonably expect from this release on PS4 and Xbox One
2. Sony should issue refunds due to point 1.
3. Well done to those reviewers that held out on reviewing the title until honest opinions could be published.
4. Review embargoes are a curse and the way they are managed needs serious review and scrutiny. Its no longer about ensuring spoilers don't get out into the wild. We are now clearly seeing unfinished products being released to market, hidden behind unreasonable embargo dates.
5. CDPR should have kept this in the oven for another 6 months until it was ready to go. Yes they would have got heat from some parts of the internet but i guarentee that would have been preferable to the damage they now see to their reputation.
6. Proper legislation is needed to protect both gamers and businesses with regard to digital purchases. A system that protects the consumer if the product is fundamentally broken, but which also protects platform holders from those who might try and game the system
A bit off topic but I finally got my physical copy of CP2077 and I already love the content from just inside the box and a small thing that I also like is that they actually got the reversible cover right with the red haired girl and it has the PS4 tag on the top with the descriptions on the back.
@Nepp67 The box is alright, just don't play the game. 😛
I tried for a refund, at first no calls were being taken so instead I went to chat, it didn't get far despite the game being faulty with crashes, freezes and unavailability to play the game. 2 HOURS of waiting to talk to the supervisor, absolutely nothing was done, I'm also a die hard Playstation fan and spend money regularly and not a thing could be changed
Whilst I haven't bought Cyberpunk myself to thankfully avoid this sort of thing,given Sony EU PSN Store were taken to federal court by the ACCC & fined for breaching Aussie Consumer Law here,they would be playing with fire if they try it again.
Steam only instituted the refund policy it has today after losing multiple appeals here & in a couple of other territories. In their case,they not only had to put a notice informing Aust. users of their right to a refund but make the ability to contact/initiate a refund easier Sadly despite the fine i don't believe the EU PSN has had to make any similar changes. But if their front line psn support staff ignore consumer laws a second time to have it escalated to ACCC action it might force further change because its obv needed.
How was this game even released in its current state?
Genuinely sorry to say this, but gamers sure are entitled.
You choose to pre-order a game and then want a refund for it not turning out as you had hoped? Couldn't you wait a week after launch to buy it? It's digital. It's still be there.
Can I go to the cinema to watch a movie and ask for a refund after the first 10 minutes?
Can I go to a restaurant, eat a couple of bites and say I'm not paying for it because it doesn't taste as good as I thought it would?
Can I buy a new car the day it launches instead of waiting to read or watch some reviews , drive it for a couple of hours and then return it later just cause I didn't like it after all? If there is a test drive available (i.e. demo), then I can try that. If there isn't, I'm pretty sure I can't just return it.
Also some games take literally 2 hours to beat. You can even get the platinum and a full refund. Come on now. Such policies only make gamers even more entitled.
I keep reading the word "unplayable" and it's a massive exaggeration most of the time.
@Echo1215 did you try sending an email? When I asked for a refund for a game I accidentally purchased, they took quite a while to get back to me (a week, if not more), but they did and it was sorted out. I wouldn't waste time calling them.
@naruball Except it isn't an exaggeration this time. Playing at 15 to 20 frames with 720p visuals and missions literally having gamebreaking bugs. Please shut up and actually look up the issues instead of being ignorant to them cause they are bad as they sound.
@naruball Actually, in several of the examples you asked, including the movie and the car, the answer is "YES, you can." Not all theaters will do that, but many will, and some car dealers will too - in some places its legally required.
That said, if you couldn't tell Cyberpunk 2078 on console was going to be a hot mess, you were a Pollyanna. There a reason they didn't share any console previews with reviewers. Whenever you see that, hold onto your wallet. So long as you can get a refund during the preorder period - not sure Sony does even that unless there's a legal requirement in your jurisdiction - you had a chance to save yourselves. I passed on a preorder because I expected this.
That's not to say Sony shouldn't consider changing their policy, but understand it may not be as simple as you think - they may need to adjust contracts with game publishers, too - you don't expect Sony to eat the loss for Cyberpunk refunds, right?
I think all those people that complained about the bugs need to try it out again post patch, especially on the PS4 pro. I picked it up post patch yesterday. My 18 year old is playing on the PS4 pro and is happy with it and how it looks. I’m playing on the PS5 and it looks great. I’ve had a couple crashes but I think one was post rest mode. The game looks good and runs well for me and is definitely worth playing. Totally worth the price and is a keeper in my book. Can’t wait until the full next gen upgrade.
I get why people are upset but you should have waited and not preordered. I waited for the first patch in order to purchase the game after hearing it looks good and plays better on the PS5. I’m sure they will fix the crashing and the remaining bugs are few and far between for me. I’m curious if that crap video that was posted about all the texture pop in and shoddy game play is accurate. I haven’t seen anything post patch on the OG PS4 and how it’s running.
@Nepp67 "Please shut up"
Gotta love internet manners. Your parents sure taught you well.
A reminder to people to wait for reviews!
@AhmadSumadi
1) Even though a speedrun might take less than 2 hours. The time speedrunners have to put in the game to learn how to get under those two hours takes a lot more time. You don't just start a game for the first time and walk through it in 2 hours..
2) When you buy a game at a retailer and it dissapoints, you can always sell it to another gamer for a fair price. This is not possible with digital purchases. You're just stuck with a game that you'll never play again.
Im guessing Im one of the few people who believe it is what it is.
When you buy something without doing the research (pre order or after release) your taking that gamble.
Whether its talking about the quality of the game or simple you decide it isnt for you.
You never been to the cinema and watched a bad film?.........did you get a refund?
I took the kids to see the Jungle Book stage show and realized it was all original music (none of the songs from the film eg what the kids like) could I get a refund
Theres been a number of gigs where a member of a band had a last min replacement on a live show due to illness/family matters. Were refunds offered?
These were all situations which cost me more than the price of game.
Its that distinction between getting a refund because something you dont like it or you finished it that probably making Sony/Nintendo etc taking its stance of refunds.
Provided they offer refunds when the developer has said the game isnt "fit for purpose" offer refunds......and they do, I dont see an issue.
Doesnt the sale of goods act protect consumers (in the UK at least) from goods arent fit for purpose.....take them to court for your refund if your stuggling !
@B-I-G-DEVIL Because then they'd actually have to have a fully working product on launch day, not months down the line like it's the standard nowadays.
@naruball So you gonna keep talking or are you gonna actually look up the issues people are encountering cause there are dozens of them. The outrage speaks for itself along with IGN's review giving it a 4/10 for gamebreaking bugs.
On Apple app store on mac, you can get a refund on software because it lacks the features that you expected due to the lack of complete information in the store. It’s almost impossible to give people all the information they need when they buy a sofisticated software and what should a customer do with it, when it´s not working the way he expected?! This works there and I have used this option last month after two day usage of the software. Just makes sence. If Sony wants more people on their store, they should do something about this. Even the two hour limit seems too short, hence you will never (almost) finish a game in 2 hours anyway. You are just buying something that has 5 fake printscreens on some digital store with a three paragraph description and what are you supposed to do with it when you cańt even sell it? You just have a licence to use something that physically does not exist and you can do absolutely nothing about it. Thats why I only buy super cheap games on sale there…
@RobN You're right, it depends on the place, the country, etc. In the countries I've lived, I'm fairly certain they would laugh at you for asking for a refund at a cinema. Same with a car.
If you put yourself in the seller's shoes, I think you instantly realize just how ridiculous of a request it is (at least for cars and cinemas). The point I was trying to make is that when you purchase something, it's a bit of a gamble. We don't know if that chocolate will taste great. We don't know if those speakers would be as good as the last ones. We don't know if those shoes will feel as good when you wear them for long hours. But we buy goods and if they turn out to be worse than we thought, then we move on. Then again, there are plenty of Karens out there...
Couldn't agree more about the console versions of the game. Anyone could see that there would be issues with them. Some fans were just too blind because of their excessive love for CD Projekt.
@Nepp67 after your learn some manners. You assume I'm not aware of these problems. I am. It still doesn't make it unplayable.
Unplayable was Skyrim on my (not everyone's) PC when it wouldn't even launch. Cyperpunk is playable. It just needs a lot of work on ps4/xb1. Had I bought it, I would wait for the patch or for the ps5 version to be released. And I would most certainly learn my lesson not to preorder digital games.
I think a refund policy like Steam's is necessary on any digital store. I have been lucky with getting a refund before BUT it took a lot of effort (I unwittingly bought DLC for a US copy of a game that was incompatible - they refunded after I took photos of the game disc and sent it).
Should everyone be able to try before they buy? I think so. Sure there is a fine line between me spending an hour or so with a game and getting a refund coz I didnt like it and a game where there are unsolvable problems at launch.
Things are tough this year - some people no doubt bought Cyberpunk 2077 as gifts OR as their game for the christmas period. They have a right to get the money and spend it elsewhere.
And the thing is, that every game that gets on PS Store has to run thru PS and they have to check the technical state before puting it into the store to see if the game even runs. They just checked the 1.00 state of the Cyberpunk and decided its good enough and put it on the store (with CDPR promising it will get better on launch) and it clearly is not ok. So this is a PS Store problem too and they really should make an exception here and refund all the unsatisfied customers on PS4.
@Rudy_Manchego "Things are tough this year" But if people indeed face dire times, isn't it on them for buying Cyberpunk 2077? You can pay 20 euro for a 90-100% on Metacritic, perfectly patched game. If instead someone with not a lot of disposable money chooses to buy Cyberpunk, without awaiting reviews, isn't it kind of on them then?
@Rudy_Manchego "Things are tough this year" It has been tough for the developers of Cyberpunk 2077 too, who have severed a lot of crunch and stress in these last few months; and like most crunch stories you'll read, they are are really awaiting the profit bonus on the game.
So, if you think "things have been tough" is a right argument, couldn't that same argument be used the other way around too?
Pushsquare: one thing that bothers me on this site for years is, that you only use the ”official screenshots” from devs/publishers here. It always was something that I did not like but got over it. But with Cyberpunk 2077, you are putting up a lot of post-launch coverage and those fake/high-end PC screenshots that you are putting here when you are writing about the PS4 version just look silly. Would be great, if you used actual screens from the PS4 version with all its ugliness.
@mrmartinrohr HEAR HEAR.
Forget Cyberpunk 2077, more accurate is Cyberpunked 2020
@Bentleyma- I'm sure maybe those ones would work. Problem is, PS Store needs to fix this.
The only way I see to get Sony’s attention on this matter is if there is enough momentum with topics and discussions on their refund policy until they take note to review and change it. Either that or just don’t buy the PS5 Digital Edition so it takes a hit in sales, that would definitely make Sony respond but will never happen due to the high demand it has.
Did anyone not expect Sony to do this? Their track record here speaks for itself.
@Kidfried Well there are two things to pull apart here - firstly from a crunch perspective, I think consumer rights and protection and the abuse at the studio aren't mutually exclusive - as in I never ever think it acceptable that workers have to crunch to make these made up release dates. I personally get annoyed when sites (even this one) ask for patches as soon as possible without considering the human cost of doing so. The game should not have been released and should not have been crunched this badly regardless of outcome.
However since it DID and the mgt made this decision, I think consumer rights now kick in. People have bought the game and yes, personal responsibility comes into it. However I'd state that we are outliers in the community. Those of us who are really into games could see the signs that reviews weren't out and all that but an average consumer who has been hyped for ages and been deliberately given no reason to think the game wouldn't be awesome might have ordered.
I think pre-order culture is a bad idea and I don't support it but I think if companies push it so hard, but given that this can happen, i think consumer protection is important.
@Ralizah It sounds totally fair what barebones about it? You want too try it for 2 weeks and return it? I think 2 hours is time enough too make up your mind. If you install and its broken how long do you need too think about returning it? You cant go too the movies and say halfway yeah i dont like the movie can i have my money back. 🤪
@mrmartinrohr I think its problem that is around for a long time. MS has a refund policy atleast but i believe that games should not be allowed too be released on the platform. But with big titles of triple A studio's no platform holder dares too say yeah this is not acceptable.
The trouble Sony have is that some small low cost games can be completed in two hours. People would abuse this, get the trophies then get a refund. The developers of these games would suffer in the end.
@Chaosbros as you submit a game to the store, Sony could make the cool-off period based on the price of the game. 3 hours for every game thats listed above $40, 2 hours for everything above $30, 1 hour for games above $20 and 0.5 hour for games under that. This way everybody gets a fair enviroment. EASY. But Sony would not get their money guaranteed, so that's not an option for them. F-king monopoly.
I can see Sony’s difficulty given that many games can be finished before the 2 hr mark, and others identified as sub standard, derivative, or just not of interest to the customer. Sony could never count on any specific level of revenue.
Plus, from a personal perspective, if this became industry wide, I’m concerned the short, single player games would die off.
I know I’ve said it here before, but a fair compromise would be a trade back system akin to using a second hand store. A sliding scale reimbursement depending on demand or how old the game is. This would help Sony too because it would allow them to get something from purchasers who buy all their games second hand currently; they could even sell on these “used” codes at a discount potentially. After a certain time of course, so Sony don’t eat into their full priced game sales.
This piece is right though, the current situation is both immoral and unsustainable.
Just submitted the form for a refund.
I downloaded the game on PS5 but NEVER played it.
Not expecting to get the refund.
I pre-ordered Tony Hawks from PSN, but then found a physical copy for much cheaper - it should have been simple to cancel the pre-order, but I had to hunt down a form on the Playstation website and wait a few days for confirmation.
This was over a month before the game came out, it should have been much easier to cancel from within my PSN account.
@naruball in my country, yes, you can get refunds in all of those cases. If the product you've bought doesn't live up to expectations, isn't of "satisfactory quality" or isn't as described - you're entitled to a refund, and that right is legally protected and very easy (and free) to get support with utilising it.
Yes gamers are entitled, depending on territory, they're entitled to basic consumer rights.
Maybe offer a 2hr timed demo of all games before purchase, then if you buy and want a refund tough tiddies
Honestly, I just wish I knew of a way to remove games from showing in my library. Tons of PS+ games I played for about an hour and then abandoned.
That being said, the Steam return policy makes sense to me. I think Sony should go with something like that.
@deathaxe
That I can understand as its been proven that people are miss using the refund policy on gog and it was also proven that most people end up getting another game any way. At least from gog people are getting something, which can't be said about Sony, hell the way Sony is now if they did offer credit it would only be 50% or less
I think there's an important difference between a game which doesn't work as advertised (whether that's because of bugs, incomplete systems, removed content that was advertised) and games you simply don't like. I have hundreds of games on Steam but have never considered along to refund a game that simply wasn't too my taste, because that was my bad decision.
On the other hand I have refunded games from Lionhead and the like which advertised whole systems that were missing because those systems were what drew me to the game, and I have refunded a few games that simply wouldn't run on my system.
A lot of people seem to be confusing these two very different scenarios, and some are saying it's people's fault for not paying attention to the media around launch. Most people aren't as active in following games news as us here in the comments. Most people just but a game thinking it looks cool, or based on word of mouth, and these people deserve consumer protection rights just as much as consumers in any other industry, especially when it comes to advertising standards.
I think for most games on PlayStation an hour would probably be fine to judge it, whether that's a demo or a refund period.
Whatever is chosen, some people will abuse it. This is the tragedy of the commons, but that shouldn't be used as an excuse to let corporations off the hook.
Steam's approach is a much better solution, one that Sony would do better to implement, given it's slow but steady transition towards "more digital than physical" games sales.
On the other hand it's also up to the gamers to stay their hand and not preorder games.
Especially ones that raise serious question marks, like Cyberpunk. It was delayed... what ... 3-4 times? And still there was necessary for the teams to work 6 days a week for many months until December? Some would call that being thorough, but others would call that "fattening the turkey before Thanksgiving".... or "fattening the pig before Christmas", depending on where you live
And the "others" variant never turns out well for the job in question.
Something dubious was going on there, which determined me to wait and see the reviews. And i'm glad i did.
Don't get me wrong, I preordered games in the past too, I even preordered The Witcher 3 in 2015, but it had a whooole different vibe to it before launch.
CDPR bit a lot this time around, by doing simultaneous releases on multiple platforms. They clearly do their best work on PC, see The Witcher 3 case, that was released on PC first, and the consoles ports that came later, that don't even hold a candle to the PC version...
They should have released Cyberpunk on PC first then take a year to do the PS5/XboxSX versions properly. With no PS4/XBONE versions. Maybe that would have generated backlash from the console communities at first, but it would have done the game and it's buyers justice in the long run.
Well my case is different from most of the comments, but I'm sure I'm not alone in the entire player base.
I like the game, and some of the bugs are hilarious, when they're not making it crash (the t-pose one actually makes certain enemies that fall foul of it easier to sneak up behind because they don't move). It's not the second coming, but then neither is it terrible, so I don't see the sense in review bombing it like some people have done. I went into it knowing what to expect, and with a SSD'd Pro haven't had too bad an experience.
That all being said, CD Projekt have not handled this well, and believe me they KNEW those base console versions weren't gonna be pushing data off the HDDs they come with fast enough. If I was playing on a stock PS4 with a HDD I'd probably be having all the same texture buffering and excessive sub-20FPS problems too.
I don't care how much money it's going to cost Sony or CDPR, refunds should be given. Yes, CDPR are the ultimate guilty party here, but Sony actually gave it the go ahead to be put on the store so they share a huge part of the fault as well.
"Greed is good"!!! - Gordan Gekko
services like gamefly should continue rising in popularity then and another example of why having the disc version is important. Buying on day one is so gassed up and honestly the last time it felt worth it was God of War....
@HotGoomba___Rebrand
That is the absolute truth. Nintendo’s “policy” doesn’t exist.
I’m so glad I didn’t pre order this. I’ve been excited for CyberPunk since it was announced. But after getting burned on Assassin’s Creed Unity back in 2014, I quit pre ordering games.
Looks like I made the right call. I contemplated preordering cyberpunk. Glad I didn’t.
If Sony doesn't want to do right by us. We should get the MPs involved.
@TheRedComet Nintendo's Return Policy is like a unicorn. There is some evidence that it's real, but their all just ridiculous.
I have a feeling that console return policies might be so limited due to contract with publisher's and hopefully both console adopt the steam style refund policy.
I know Microsoft already let's you get a refund on a game or even movie but they limit it to 2 per year. Sony is... stricter.
It would be very pro consumer for both to change. Obviously you can't use the 2 hours as a rental period but as long as you don't abuse the refunds then it should be fine and the first console maker to make that change will definitely earn +10 goodwill because it will probably push the other company to do the same.
While there are bugs none of them are game breaking bugs. All of the issues will be addressed and fixed by CDPR. Lets not overlook the fact most know better than to pre-order games with out seeing reviews for the platform you plan to use. Also the no refunds policy is also nothing new. Cyberpunk 2077 is going to be fixed, Its going to be Game of the Year 2021.
Good article but I am always surprised at how willingly we let corporations take advantage of us as consumers.
The thing to remember if like me you live in the UK is we have the consumer rights act of 2015 and within that government legislation it states under chapter 3 that digital goods MUST be of a satisfactory quality, they must be fit for purpose and digital content is to be "as described".
Sony must abide by this in selling digital content to UK based customers so therefore there own terms and conditions are null in void as the consumer rights act is government legislation so MUST be adhered to. I would advise all of you seeking refunds to quote this when creating your ticket for a refund.
Should you need it please feel free to use the link attached :
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2015/15/contents/enacted
Furthermore I got my refund and instead have purchased on Steam.
Really hope that Sony see the error of there ways on this as the gaming industry is moving to a cloud based gaming platform and no doubt Sony wish to be part of this now and in the future but with these archaic terms and conditions thats not going to happen as consumers will "wise up" and spend elsewhere.
Tech companies have worked hard to limit your ownership rights on digital goods. Until this changes - until we actually own and can do whatever we like with digital media - you can expect this kind of behavior from corporations. This is what the digital-only future looks like unless laws change.
The PlayStation purist will hate what I am about to say, but to be honest with you... IDGAD. Sony Game Store needs to be overhauled and they need to adopt the same refund policy that Microsoft Store has for their apps and games. You are eligible for a full refund within 14 days, as long as you have only played the game that you purchased is under 2hrs of gameplay. Any DLC or Seasons Passes that you have purchased separately, unfortunately not refundable.
You must have downloaded, installed and run the app or game before requesting for a refund. And that is what Sony needs to adopt with Cyberpunk 2077 yet another game where Sony has lost out financially as a result of CDOR lying about the performance and graphics in their game.
As this is a second game which Sony has had to refund their customers in full this is an embarrassment for Sony as well. But will Sony change their rfund policy as a result of what has happened with Cyberpunk 2077. I doubt it very much if they will adopt the same policy as Microsoft. However, it is likely they will indeed make changes to their Refund Policy as a result of the disastrous poor performance, poor graphics and gameplay on the old-gen consoles and next-gen consoles.
I agree the refund policy is poor. Given the situation with this game Sony should address this right away. Most people only have a PS4 let alone PS4 Pro. Why didn't the dev make sure this game would run good enough on those systems? Is this an issue on Xbox too or just Sony?
Not once in my life, have I ever wanted a game refund. Like any product, people should better do their research, first.
Honestly, I think this is a cynical move from CDPR. They knew Sony didn't have a refund policy - just as they know (or ought to know) that most stores won't accept opened physical games (PC or console) for return. It costs CDPR no actual money to say "take it back to where you bought it for a return," especially if they know the retailer will say No - and it makes us all call Sony the bad guy here.
Since Sony does have a review process, they shouldn't be let off the hook entirely - but neither are they the primary problem in this case.
@Shaun_p
Thing is it use to be easy to cancel a pre order on the PSN.
All you had to do was go to the games page and click on the cancel preorder button.
Provided the launch date hasnt benen reached (obviously) it was instantly canceled.
I paid with store credit at the the time and it was refunded back into my wallet.
I didnt havet to contact customer service or anything.
Why they changed this fpr pre orders I just dont know.
@naruball for curiosity sake, which country do you live in?
Following UK and EU law on consumer rights is pretty straight forward because most things are standardised across the region.
The U.S. can be a nightmare legally.
I am a PSN UK CSR, and I can absolutely confirm CDPR never had any communication regarding refunds with Playstation. The internal memo we received in simple terms told us to originally tag refund requests to be reviewed, then the next day to simply ignore them and just change the header, so we don't reopen the email and reply accidentally.
There is, as of right now, no movement on this, instead we are to inform callers that they should wait for patches to fix the issues. Historically, they will keep this up for at least a month, then eventually capitulate and honour refund requests...but right now, we have our hands tied behind our backs. (Don't shoot at your CSR...most of us will be as frustrated as you are.)
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