Shenmue 3 Developer Says Steam Refunds Depend On Negotiations With Valve

When it comes to all the controversy surrounding the Epic Games Store and Epic Games’ strategy of grabbing timed exclusives to their storefront, one of the stickiest is when a crowdfunded title got nabbed after promising a Steam version. It’s happened to a few titles now, with one being the upcoming Shenmue 3. There was outrage when developer Ys Net said no refunds would be coming to those who backed for a Steam key. It seemed like things were sorted when it was announced Epic Games would be covering refunds, but it seems the story isn’t quite over.

In the latest Kickstarter update, Ys Net backtracked on the refund issue. While you can still put in a request for a refund via a survey, they can no longer guarantee one. Apparently, this is due to negotiations with Valve. What the issue actually is isn’t clarified, but something seems to have caused a snag. This also effects key distribution for those who also chose to get a Steam key one year later instead of a full refund.

Shenmue 3 will release on November 19th for PlayStation 4 and PC (via the Epic Games Store). We’ll keep you updated on the status of refunds as more details trickle out.