Cyberpunk 2077 developer promised refunds it couldn’t really guarantee

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In the wake of Cyberpunk 2077 performance issues on older generation consoles such as the base PS4 and Xbox One, CD Projekt Red promised players that they would be eligible for a refund if they are not satisfied with the game’s performance. The only problem is the refund. On December 13th, the official Cyberpunk 2077 Twitter account posted a message to fans apologizing for the performance issues that players are experiencing on the base PS4 and Xbox One consoles, and that more patches are coming to improve Cyberpunk 2077’s stability and performance on consoles.

The statement ends with a promise that anyone who purchased a digital copy of Cyberpunk 2077 will be able to refund the game for a limited time through PSN, Xbox or local retailers. “If this is not possible, please contact us at [email protected] and we will do our best to help you,” the statement read.

Unfortunately, despite the statement, there does not appear to be any special arrangement for Cyberpunk 2077 refunds with PSN or Xbox. This means that customers are actually dealing with the respective stores’ standard refund policies and may not be eligible for a refund at all.

During an emergency council meeting, Michal Nowakowski, SVP for business development at CD Projekt Red, clarified that refunds for Cyberpunk 2077 are subject to existing refund policies for PSN and Xbox customers.

“You have to understand: Microsoft and Sony have a refund policy for any product released digitally in their store,” Nowakowski said. “Despite several articles I’ve seen that things are being set up especially for us, it’s actually not true – this policy was put in place and has always been in place; they are not offered specifically for us. “

This could explain why customers, including IGN employees, have had a hard time getting a refund. Especially on PlayStation and the PlayStation Store.

The PlayStation refund policy is as follows: customers have 14 days from purchase to request a refund as they have not yet started downloading or streaming the purchased game. Once the download has started or players have streamed the game, they are not eligible for a refund ‘unless the content is defective’.

Without special arrangement, Cyberpunk 2077 players on PlayStation will be subject to the existing refund policy. And the strict wording in Sony’s refund policy means that refunds are not guaranteed, and it seems PlayStation users are learning this firsthand.

On Twitter, users share their experiences with PlayStation customer support and post reports of their conversations with representatives who decline their refund.

IGN’s Mark Medina tried to refund their copy of Cyberpunk 2077 on PS4, but was told by a representative, “According to our records, the content was downloaded / streamed. Sorry, due to the restrictions outlined in the PlayStation Store cancellation policy; this transaction is non-refundable. “

Customers on Xbox have reportedly had an easier experience, given Microsoft’s more relaxed refund policy, which claims that refunds can be given when there are “mitigating circumstances” that could include the current Cyberpunk 2077 situation.

Meanwhile, Steam offers 14-day refunds to any customer who has played a game for less than two hours with no other terms and conditions. Although players who have logged more than 2 hours of playtime will unfortunately not receive a refund.

IGN has reached out to CD Projekt Red for clarification, but was told the company would not make any further statements on the matter. PlayStation did not respond to our requests for comment.

Cyberpunk 2077 is the last major video game release of 2020, but the release was not without controversy. Performance issues on the base consoles and a confusing, messy communication strategy from CD Projekt Red have marred an otherwise highly anticipated launch.

Matt TM Kim is a reporter for IGN.

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