Steam has stepped in for players once again. Valve refunded thousands of users after the Ashes of Creation meltdown. The platform even reimbursed people who, on paper, did not meet the usual refund requirements.

Just as Steam faces a lawsuit over harming players, Gabe Newell‘s platform has made headlines again for how it handled the Ashes of Creation crisis. After selling hundreds of thousands of copies, the MMO effectively collapsed only six weeks after its early access launch on the store. Valve answered the fiasco by stopping sales of the game and positioning itself as the community’s rescuer. Hundreds of users say they managed to get their money back even though they did not meet the official criteria for a refund.

Steam sides with the players

“My refund request was approved. I bought it on launch day on Steam and had 28 hours of playtime,” reads a post on the official Ashes of Creation subreddit. It may sound like a one-off, but it is not. The forum is packed with similar comments from users who claim they received refunds after more than two hours of playtime or after owning the title for more than two weeks. It is important to note, however, that getting a refund follows a slightly unusual path. If you simply file a standard refund request, the case can be automatically denied before anyone ever reviews it.

The reason is simple: Steam uses a bot that automatically approves or rejects refund requests depending on whether the conditions are met. That is why, with Ashes of Creation – or any other game – you should choose a help option that says contact Steam support. Then a human reviews your case, and if you have not abused the refund system before and your situation is exceptional, you will most likely get your money back. In fact, one player reportedly succeeded by sending a polite message and nothing more. The key is to get your request in front of a person. Otherwise, the bot does what it always does.

It is also worth pointing out that, because these refunds are not part of the standard procedure, the money arrives in your Steam Wallet. In that case, you can only spend it on games, downloadable content, or items available in the Community Market. Technically, there are ways to move that balance back to your bank account, but they are questionable. You lose money along the way, and they are not recommended. It is better to keep the credit for an upcoming release you actually want.

The truth is that Valve‘s refund policies are among the most generous available to players. Still, not everything about this case is worth celebrating. Many users who bought Ashes of Creation through the game’s official website will likely never get their money back. And that is without even counting the nearly 20,000 people who backed a Kickstarter campaign that raised more than three million euros.

Source: 3djuegos