Star Citizen: Player requests refund

Refunds are actually excluded in the upcoming space MMO Star Citizen. But with a lawyer, anything is possible.

However, the disappointed player with the nickname “Streetroller” tried his luck and requested a refund on June 14, as he believed that Star Citizen was not finished and that the game no longer matched what was initially promised and for which he had paid. The company responded and cited the terms of service that stated that the money could not be reclaimed. Not even if the development studio is unable to complete the game.

Refunds: Yes or No?

Streetroller explained that he had not agreed to these new terms of service and that the old terms were still in effect at the time of his contract. According to these, he had a right to a refund if the development studio was unable to deliver the game 18 months after the originally scheduled release date. This date was in November 2014. Thus, the 18 months have passed. Additionally, Streetroller noted that in another Kickstarter project, a ruling was made that such terms of service violate consumer rights.

With a Lawyer, Apparently Everything is Possible

When the company again rejected the refund, Streetroller enlisted a lawyer. Moreover, he contacted the Federal Trade Commission and the Los Angeles Department of Consumer and Business Affairs, where he filed a complaint against Cloud Imperium Games. On June 23, Streetroller finally received a partial refund of 900 US dollars.

Ultimately, there were further discussions, after which Streetroller received around 2,500 dollars; no one wanted to disclose the exact amount. It was likely the majority of the money he had invested in Star Citizen. As he told the magazine Polygon, he had to forgo about 800 dollars because they were part of a content subscription.

The Los Angeles Department of Consumer and Business Affairs then urged all disappointed backers of Star Citizen to also request refunds.

Special Case

However, as revealed in the conversation with Polygon: This is a very special case. The backer is paralyzed and cannot move either arms or legs. He supported Star Citizen mainly because of the initially promised VR focus and became increasingly disappointed as that aspect faded into the background. It was also important that he never downloaded the alpha and thus never accepted the “updated Terms of Service.”

According to Polygon, he is not really angry at Star Citizen. He wishes the project all the best.

More articles about Star Citizen:

• Star Citizen sells 1,000,000 ships, complicates conditions for money refunds
• Star Citizen: 113 million dollars and the team aims to keep promises