A player purchased the MMO Star Citizen (PC. $559 million crowdfunding) 8 years ago, but is now demanding a refund because the MMO has not yet been released. The developers sent him a long letter explaining why his claims are unfounded. However, the money was refunded as well.
This is the situation with Star Citizen:
- Star Citizen began as a project that was supposed to be released in 2014. Over the years, however, the budget, team, and vision of the project grew, so it still has no release date even in 2023.
- Some players are tired of waiting and are frustratedly demanding their money back. There is even a specific subreddit for it, “r/starcitizen_refunds,” which is solely dedicated to players requesting refunds and how to approach it skillfully.
- The process of such a “refund” can now be seen in an example.
Who wanted their money back? A reddit user named “BlueBackground” shares his story on reddit:
- He bought Star Citizen 8 years ago
- He played for 274 hours. However, he notes that he spent much of that time waiting. The game is “so tedious.”
- He requested about $250 back – but notes that he also bought ships and had already sold them to limit his losses.
Player receives 5-page letter explaining why he has no claim for a refund
What is special about this? The player states and also shows screenshots (via Reddit) that he received a 5-page letter detailing why he has no claims to get the money back.
Your claims are unfounded, and we do not owe you a refund for the reasons we have laid out below. Nevertheless, and without any obligation to do so, we offer to refund you a portion of the transaction.
Developers say: Star Citizen was released in Early Access in 2016
The letter that the user partially quotes lists:
- Star Citizen has been in Early Access since 2016
- Patches are released quarterly
- Usually, we refund money without questions for 14 days, even extending it to 30 days
- In the case of the player, he had played for 274 hours – much more than the 40-60 hours one typically spends on a game
- Moreover, he had agreed to the terms of service a dozen times, which explicitly state that he agrees to support the development of the game with his pledged money
Despite this, he will be refunded and the account closed – as a gesture of goodwill.
Although the letter only mentions a “partial refund,” the player claims he received the full amount back.
Player finds it “ridiculous” that it actually worked
This is how the player reacts: The player is perplexed. He did not expect to get the money back.
He humorously remarks that the developers stated in the letter that the game had already been released:
Honestly, I am shocked that I received the refund. I was sure I wouldn’t get it – or at least not like this.
He had to laugh quite a bit while reading the email. He thanks the people in the /refund-reddit for all the help.
At another point, he says he finds it “ridiculous” that he got his money refunded.
How is this being discussed? People in the subreddit believe that the refund now shows that Star Citizen is apparently changing its approach and demonstrating respect for the legal situation.
For a long time, it was considered very difficult to get a refund from Star Citizen. On reddit, people believe the chances are higher for a refund if one refers to special regulations for the UK. The company has “fear” of them.
Backer wants $24,000 back from Star Citizen, is facing difficulties with it
