Shenmue III Refund details

[bell wood's jet cola]

Hopefully this is the end of another dark chapter for the beleaguered franchise:

Here's the latest update:

Highlights:

1. Survey will go out mid-September
2. Survey will only last two weeks
3. Can switch PS4 region or ask for a PC refund
4. Refunds will only be given to PC backers
5. Refund could take 20 days to 3 months

Hello Everyone,

We are almost ready to begin the survey resend for PS4 region changes and refund requests. Survey preparation details follow.


Survey Outline

During mid-September emails will start going out from Fangamer to all backers notifying you of your currently selected game version. Please check your mail to confirm your version. Backers who wish to make a change may then follow the link to your survey in the mail to take the necessary action.

*It will take a few days for all emails to be sent out to backers.


Survey Period

The survey period is planned to be up two weeks long. Survey period details will be announced in the survey open update.

Changes to rewards will not be available after surveys close, so please be sure to respond within the survey period. Address changes may be made up until shipping begins.


Concerning Refunds

Refunds will be honored for backers who had selected a PC version and are not satisfied with the proposed reward options.


Refund Request Processing

Refund requests will be accepted only through the backer survey during the survey period. Processing details will be announced at the start of the survey period.

Refund processing timing may vary depending on payment service and transaction status. It may take up to 20 business days to 3 months from the time the refund request is made until the refund transaction is completed.

We promise to proceed with refund request processing promptly and reliably, however, due to the fact that the campaign is now 4 years on, along with the complexity of the transactions and payment service system arrangements, we ask for your understanding that processing times may vary depending on individual transaction circumstances.


Refunds and In-game Rewards

The possibility is high that in-game rewards for backers who requested a refund may not be removed from the game. We ask for your understanding that production of in-game rewards has been well underway and that changing implemented content is difficult at this stage of development.


Survey system changes are currently undergoing final checks. An update will be posted with notification of the survey start. The wait will be just a little longer and your patience is appreciated.


Thank you always for your support.

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[Mass_Pincup]

3 months is extremely long for a refund.

 

[Violet]

Looking forward to having a thread about the game now focused on........... literally anything but this

 

[bell wood's jet cola]

3 months is extremely long for a refund.

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This is the reasoning:

We promise to proceed with refund request processing promptly and reliably, however, due to the fact that the campaign is now 4 years on, along with the complexity of the transactions and payment service system arrangements, we ask for your understanding that processing times may vary depending on individual transaction circumstances.

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[Mass_Pincup]

This is the reasoning:

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Hmm, I can understand that but still after the months of uncertainty regarding the possibility of being able to refund your pledge, waiting for up to 3 more months can be a hard pill to swallow.

 

[Lant_War]

Looking forward to having a thread about the game now focused on........... literally anything but this

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Yeah, it's pretty blatant how some people are with the bias against this game.

 

[Deleted member 4976]

Yeah, it's pretty blatant how some people are with the bias against this game.

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What does this mean?

--

3 months is long, but eh, at least I'll get my money back.

 

[Cosmo Kramer]

What did i miss? Why are they giving money back?

 

[Arkanius]

I can finally end this shitty ordeal.
Waiting for my Fangamer email.

Best luck for your future endeavors Ys.net

 

[Deleted member 8196]

What did i miss? Why are they giving money back?

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Because they lied to the backers.

Shenmue III was supposed to come to PC on STEAM but now it's a 12 months exclusive on EGS.

 

[bell wood's jet cola]

Yeah, it's pretty blatant how some people are with the bias against this game.

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Not me, Lant_War. I am still looking forward to getting this game the day it comes out, but I am not a PC gamer. Just trying to get the facts out there, for those who need the facts.

 

[Rosebud]

Yeah, it's pretty blatant how some people are with the bias against this game.

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The publisher made the Epic deal, people don't have to like it.

 

[Umbrella Carp]

What did i miss? Why are they giving money back?

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EGS exclusivity after a Kickstarter promised Steam keys

 

[derFeef]

Looking forward to having a thread about the game now focused on........... literally anything but this

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This thread is about this very topic and an OT later on will be about the game as usual. Not sure what you mean?

 

[R.T Straker]

Yeah, it's pretty blatant how some people are with the bias against this game.

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Yeah I'm sure it's ''bias'' and not the fact that Yu and Deep Silver bait and switched their PC backers.

 

[ramoisdead]

Only 2 fucking weeks the survey for choosing a refund will last...

I knew they would somehow pull out this shit just so someone can simply forget when it expires.

GIVE ME MY FUCKING SHENMUE III REFUND!!

 

[Tygre]

I will never feel sadder about getting my money back.

This is a game I've been waiting more than half of my life for.

Limiting this to a two-week period seems shady as fuck.

 

[Duxxy3]

Three months would push a refund past the release date of the game. They're obviously doing this so people are more inclined to just keep their order.

 

[bell wood's jet cola]

Three months would push a refund past the release date of the game. They're obviously doing this so people are more inclined to just keep their order.

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I think they're just trying to cover their backs if the refund processing isn't immediate due to the reasons listed above.

 

[BigAT]

3 months is extremely long for a refund.

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The assumption was Shenmue fans enjoy unnecessarily long, drawn-out processes.

 

[IronicSonic]

Yeah I'm sure it's ''bias'' and not the fact that Yu and Deep Silver bait and switched their PC backers.

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Do you mean Epic deal was premeditated? Lmao

I hope this end soon.

 

[Deleted member 3010]

Because they lied to the backers.

Shenmue III was supposed to come to PC on STEAM but now it's a 12 months exclusive on EGS.

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Not only this.

PC backers under a certain backer tier were promised a physical retail version with the whole game on it and now it's just a CD with the EGS Launcher install on it...along with a CD-Key voucher of course.

 

[Reckheim]

Only 2 fucking weeks the survey for choosing a refund will last...

I knew they would somehow pull out this shit just so someone can simply forget when it expires.

GIVE ME MY FUCKING SHENMUE III REFUND!!

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... they are giving you a refund.

 

[ramoisdead]

Do you mean Epic deal was premeditated? Lmao

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Maybe it wasn't premeditated but it sure it was blantantly ignorant to make a deal for EGS exclusivity after sending out surveys to your backers, letting them choose Steam keys as an option.

... they are giving you a refund.

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I know that. I always say this on the topic of Shenmue III and their refund path. Might as well blurt it out before I won't have to anymore.

 

[Deleted member 203]

Do you mean Epic deal was premeditated? Lmao

I hope this end soon.

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It doesn't have to be to be a shitty move

Also didn't they promise that the 60 dollar tier would give PC players a fully boxed copy but instead they're just shipping a disc with an EGS launcher, which is effectively the same thing as the 30 dollar tier? Am I remembering that right?

 

[R.T Straker]

Do you mean Epic deal was premeditated? Lmao

I hope this end soon.

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That doesn't matter on your end as a customer.

The fact that you backed and paid for a Steam key 4 years ago and now you're suddenly getting something else is in the same ball park.

 

[Duxxy3]

I think they're just trying to cover their backs if the refund processing isn't immediate due to the reasons listed above.

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Oh I'm sure it's complex. But letting people know it could be three months and only allowing responses for two weeks (probably because it's a small window anyhow) will likely push a lot of people to just stick it out and take the EGS copy.

 

[ThreepQuest64]

Also didn't they promise that the 60 dollar tier would give PC players a fully boxed copy but instead they're just shipping a disc with an EGS launcher, which is effectively the same thing as the 30 dollar tier? Am I remembering that right?

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Right. And this is even worse than "only" switching from Steam key to EGS key.

To consider going through all the hassle of those processes to refund (from a dev/pub point of view) just because of this deal... they must have gotten a SHITLOAD of money.

 

[OnionPowder]

What did i miss? Why are they giving money back?

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While the Epic deal upset me, this one is the most fucked up one IMO

Backers don't get our early copy until October, while the game has been at multiple trade shows for press / attenders to play and the backers just feel like we've been forgotten about. Kind of ties into why the Epic deal stung

I was pretty upset at first, but after seeing some of the gameplay that shenmue love is just right back flooding into my veins

I'm still on the fence on if I want to retract my $250 backing or not. I hate that there's any uncertainty at all, but knowing me I'll probably stick with it.

 

[IronicSonic]

It doesn't have to be to be a shitty move

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It is. But to suggest that it was on purpose, is totally different.

The fact that you backed and paid for a Steam key 4 years ago and now you're suddenly getting something else is in the same ball park.

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No, it's not.

 

[Deleted member 203]

Right. And this is even worse than "only" switching from Steam key to EGS key.

To consider going through all the hassle of those processes to refund (from a dev/pub point of view) just because of this deal... they must have gotten a SHITLOAD of money.

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Yeah to intentionally take a deal that goes against what you promised backers, your most dedicated fans, with the PR shitstorm as a result, it must have been a lucrative deal for them. But in the long term, I also think it's really fucking stupid. Who's gonna trust these clowns again?

 

[bell wood's jet cola]

Right. And this is even worse than "only" switching from Steam key to EGS key.

To consider going through all the hassle of those processes to refund (from a dev/pub point of view) just because of this deal... they must have gotten a SHITLOAD of money.

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Not only that, Epic's supposedly the one giving the money back, not Ys Net or Deep Silver.

 

[OnionPowder]

Not only that, Epic's supposedly the one giving the money back, not Ys Net or Deep Silver.

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This is the only thing that makes me feel okay about going through with a refund.

Make Epic pay my part and then just buy a copy so Ys gets a double dip lmao.

 

[Deleted member 388]

I'd rather there was an option to get the PC copy on Steam with the physical disc a year from now than to get a refund. But I imagine they don't want to deal with this anymore after release.

 

[Arkanius]

I'll get satisfaction knowing Lying Timmy Sweeney is paying me the 100$ bucks and I can buy the game later on Steam after 12 months.

 

[ClickyCal']

Remember when sony 2015 was the e3 of dreams? And then 2016 was the actual one.

 

[MrNelson]

Yeah, it's pretty blatant how some people are with the bias against this game.

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For wanting a Steam key instead of an Epic key?

You can think this whole exclusivity situation is shitty without having a "bias against the game".

 

[Veliladon]

I'll get satisfaction knowing Lying Timmy Sweeney is paying me the 100$ bucks and I can buy the game later on Steam after 12 months.

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This.

 

[s_mirage]

Better late than never but they're still not making themselves look great. They've dragged their heels for months but are now only allowing a refund period for the grand total of two weeks, and on top of that it could be Christmas by the time people receive their refunds? They're still giving the impression that they're doing the absolute minimum and are hoping to limit refund numbers.

 

[FreezePeach]

What happened to the option to also just get a steam key when it comes out? They lie about that too? The best alternative to a refund is getting an egs key now and then a steam key a year later.

 

[Tunesmith]

Three months would push a refund past the release date of the game. They're obviously doing this so people are more inclined to just keep their order.

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Refunding a payment that is over 180 days old, depending on the payment type and issuer can be an absolute nightmare to facilitate as a merchant.
Payment Processors do not make it easy on merchants attempting to do that so there being refunds on the table in the first place at this stage is a small miracle.

 

[ramoisdead]

What happened to the option to also just get a steam key when it comes out? They lie about that too? The best alternative to a refund is getting an egs key now and then a steam key a year later.

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Spoiler alert for that:

Spoiler

Tim Sweeney lies a lot.

 

[terminaljeremy]

The assumption was Shenmue fans enjoy unnecessarily long, drawn-out processes.

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*bravo*

 

[Lant_War]

Not me, Lant_War. I am still looking forward to getting this game the day it comes out, but I am not a PC gamer. Just trying to get the facts out there, for those who need the facts.

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I wasn't saying it because of you specifically, I wouldn't say someone with a Shenmue avatar and name hates the series :P

It's just that it's pretty funny how whenever something negative of Shennmue 3 pops up there's a thread here like 3 minutes after it gets announced

 

[wild_one]

Hilarious part is I mentioned in a Kickstarter post that they'd do something to limit possible refunds, and what did they do? Exactly that, though it wasn't as extreme as only have the day before release to request the refund.

 

[Madjoki]

Refunding a payment that is over 180 days old, depending on the payment type and issuer can be an absolute nightmare to facilitate as a merchant.
Payment Processors do not make it easy on merchants attempting to do that so there being refunds on the table in the first place at this stage is a small miracle.

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Should've just asked paypal address (or whatever) and sent money back instead.

 

[bell wood's jet cola]

I wasn't saying it because of you specifically, I wouldn't say someone with a Shenmue avatar and name hates the series :P

It's just that it's pretty funny how whenever something negative of Shennmue 3 pops up there's a thread here like 3 minutes after it gets announced

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I'll balance my thread out!



Commemorative Dreamcast case!!!

 

[SpotAnime]

Not only this.

PC backers under a certain backer tier were promised a physical retail version with the whole game on it and now it's just a CD with the EGS Launcher install on it...along with a CD-Key voucher of course.

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Thianis my biggest beef. If they guaranteed at least down the road a Limited Run-esque physical release with the complete game, I'd probably stick with it. The fact they are charging a premium to fans who helped fund the game and then just sending them a coaster, that's what did it for me.

We get some in-game exclusives, pre-orders get others. TBH funders should get both but if it were just that I probably would have stuck with it. As a whole and with the physical edition in general, we aren't getting what we paid for.

Edit:

I'll balance my thread out!



Commemorative Dreamcast case!!!

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Oh you can just go fuck off Deep Silver.

 

[Tunesmith]

Should've just asked paypal address (or whatever) and sent money back instead.

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That is no doubt one of several options they have considered or will be considering in some cases. Though when you're dealing at scale it is still not an easy process.

 

[Deleted member 388]

I'll balance my thread out!



Commemorative Dreamcast case!!!

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Smart of them to announce this while people are contemplating getting a refund.

They should do something for this on PC in a year when the game is on Steam.