Want a refund? Here's POSSIBLY how. (Read Inside)

I'm very unhappy (understatement) with how the game is shaping up, so like many others, I opted to refund my game. If it eventually gets good several years down the line, I might purchase it then. Right now though, I just want to forget about this game.

Devs have stated the game would fully release in 2013.
That was pushed back to 2014, or in the immortals words of Tiyuri himself, "Soon™ "

Although I will give credit to where it is due, because at least the "Beta" came out in December of last year. However, I wouldn't call it a beta. Betas usually representative of finished products. What we have is more akin to an alpha. All of the progression is placeholder, game mechanics are not fully implemented yet, tons of content is missing, etc.

It's now nearing the summer of 2014. This game STILL isn't fully out yet.

Supposedly, it was to come out summer of 2012, according to several news sources:

Where have those two years gone? Seriously. Where?

After reading through the forums, I saw that I had to contact Chucklefish in order to start the refund process. So I did.
For reference, here's their email address.
Chucklefish support email: support@chucklefish.org

This is the response that I got back:



Ok so, what now? They said no. I shouldn't keep pestering them with emails, but I want my money back so I can spend it on Redigit's Terraria 2 or something.

This is where Steam enters into the equation. If you've purchased through the Steam Store, you might be able to still get a refund. This game is in early access still, which means that it's not "released" yet, technically.

I know of people who have had success refunding Wargame: Red Dragon, which is also still in Beta. Basically, as long as the game isn't out of beta and fully released yet, you should get a refund.

Edit:
Is this the same as pre-purchasing a game?
No. Early Access is a full purchase of a playable game. By purchasing, you gain immediate access to download and play the game in its current form and as it evolves up and through 'release'.

There seems to be some some contradiction here, but there's no harm in trying to get your well-earned money back. Wargame: Red Dragon is listed as "pre-purchase", but Starbound is listed as "early access". These are not the same things. Apparently, Early access constitutes "release", even though it's not actually fully 'released' yet.

Look at this doozy though:

What does it say in the top bar and on the right sidebar? PRE-ORDER.




But what about those who of us who purchased via Humble Bundle?

Ah. Well, if you go into your account details and then into game transactions:
Steam Client---> Your Account Name---> Account Details---> Licenses and Subscriptions --->

Look at what it says:



Unfortunately, you probably still can't get a refund if you didn't purchase from Steam directly, as the transaction was done Via Humble Bundle and the money went to Chucklefish, not Steam.

Take it up with Chucklefish again.

Your results will vary, but best of luck to you!

 

I think I have the opposite problem. I am extremely happy with the game as it is right now, but I am worried they may ruin the atmosphere of the game later on if they make too many changes in the wrong direction. I wanna see what we have now version 2.0, not some entirely different game.

I don't really understand why people would want a refund for a game that's really as fun as it is for an alpha/beta product.

 

Quite a few people think that the game in its current state is lackluster and tedious. It's cool if you're enjoying it, but I'm not surprised to find that people are looking for a way to get a refund.

 

And why should I care? Just take your refund quietly and go away

 

You cared enough to post in this thread apparently.

As for the OP, Chucklefish does give refunds to my knowledge. Send them a message and see what happens.

 

I hope people don't get a refund from CF. We already know Steam wont refund which is good.

How can people expect to blindly buy things without researching and then wanting a refund. Sure you may not like where the game is headed, why didn't you wait in the first place? So many questions.

I also wonder how CF can refund if Steam refuses... What happens to the Steam key on your account?

No, that game is a pre-order, hence the refund being available. It doesn't matter if a pre-order has a beta attached to it.

 

From what I hear Steam tends to offer 1, only 1 refund and thats it. The only exception is if a title flat out lied or heavily mis-lead you.

 

http://community.playstarbound.com/index.php?forums/support/

 

Hey, guess what other game is also a pre-order?

I'll give you a hint:

It's Starbound.

 

I, too, feel that there are many things missing from Starbound. When you've played 50+ hours and have explored most things, it gets tedious. Tedious, but not boring. I usually restart my character about once a week with a new mod or two installed that makes it slightly different and that works for me. I will admit that I check the website daily to see if there's an update in hopes that I can check out the new things, but when I don't see an update, I check the mod section out to see what else I want to try.

 

http://playstarbound.com/how-the-beta-is-going-to-work/

 

Thank you, but I don't believe you've read everything I've wrote there. I'm happy with the way things are and it gives me a chance to try new mods.

 

That's great I had the same experience with minecraft.

 

Stop it, April Fools is gone already.

 

You are all aware that SB is a pre-order with a beta attached right? see: http://playstarbound.com/store/ (yeah i know, i'm late)
As a customer you didn't receive all you paid for, and what you paid for is considerably less then what has been promised. Like it not, that does warrant a refund.

xxswatelitexx and serinity, try actually looking/reading it for once.
The pre order was estimated at 2014 which now changed to tba, why? because it's not out yet.
Secondly you can't pre-order games that are out, yet you can still pre-order starbound. hmm i wonder what that means.

 

Because this is the coddled generation - everyone gets a trophy, no one loses, everyone gets the same grade...yadda, yadda yadda

They take no responsibility for their actions, its always someone else or no one told them about X or Y. It is quite pathetic, just reading posts from these folks is cringe worthy....so self centered and entitled. I feel sorry for the future of our existence......as a great man once said "We'll make great pets"

 

and I'd also like to add that semantics don't matter in this case. As far as a "pre-ordered" game is concerned on Steam, once you can play it, it's not returnable by that rule anymore. So what is quoted in this post is how it works. Despite what anyone else calls it.

Now if you pitch enough of a fit, I've heard of Steam giving in. So be "that guy" if you wanna try, I guess, but you really have to go the distance with being one of those unreasonable customers everyone dreads...and even then it's probably for nothing.