‘Along with Deep Silver and Epic Games, we have agreed that should the above proposal not be acceptable to backers, refund requests will be honored’
So this E3 went pretty badly for Ys Net and Deep Silver. The duo announced, by way of Shenmue creator Yu Suzuki, that Shenmue III would be an Epic Store exclusive on PC, despite the fact that Kickstarter backers were expecting Steam keys. This meant that expectant Steam owners wouldn’t get their keys until a year after launch, and refunds were denied. As expected, the internet blew up like a powder keg.
Now, several weeks later, the developer/publishing team, which evidently were united on the deal, are backing down. As per the most recent Kickstarter update, there are now contingency plans in place for backers. Now the Epic deal is still going through, and Steam copies are still shipping in 2020, but there’s options, and one of them is a refund.
The full details are below, but the gist is that you can still get the game a year later on Steam (haha what), swap to PS4, or get a refund “if the proposals are not acceptable to backers.” That process “will be announced in a following update.” Some stretch goals in the initial campaign have also been changed, and you can find those alterations in the gallery below.
(Imagine a William Shatner voice here) Kickstarterrrrrrrrrrrr! Man some of these campaigns have had wild rides, and in the end I’m glad this one is at least offering refunds. If they had stood their ground it would have tanked the reputation of both organizations. Deep Silver has been trigger happy with this sort of thing already.
Update On PC Version Rewards [Kickstarter]
Version Availability
a. PC Physical: Package (Disc) ＋ EGS Key
b. PC Digital: EGS Key
c. PS4 Physical: Package (Disc)
d. PS4 Digital: PSN Voucher Code
*If selecting either the PC Physical or PC Digital version, an option to also receive a Steam key one year later will be available. Backers must manually select this option in the survey to receive the Steam key.
**If you had previously selected PC and want to change to PS4 or vice versa, you may do so.
Survey Implementation
We are currently working on the necessary changes to the backer survey system. We ask for your patience as there will be a short wait while the preparations are made. Once the survey changes have been implemented, there will be an announcement here in the updates with details and notice of the survey response period. (Changes to your shipping address may still be made through the backer survey up until shipping begins.)
Concerning Refunds
Along with Deep Silver and Epic Games, we have agreed that should the above proposal not be acceptable to backers, refund requests will be honored.
Details concerning the refund request process will be announced in a following update. We ask for your patience until that time.
*In the case rewards within your reward tier, such as in-game content, have already been created and implemented, a full refund may not be possible.
