The reality of Steam refunds is still shaking out, say devs

- Jeff Vogel, of Avernum developers Spiderweb Software

Steam refunds were thrust upon the game development community without prior warning from Valve -- and since then, a number of questioned what effect they'll overall have. Some are optimistic; some are running scared.

In the process of researching a new video exploring the topic, YouTuber John "TotalBiscuit" Bain contacted a number of developers; their raw responses have been collected at a Tumblr dedicated to the topic.

A particularly interesting quote comes from Defender's Quest developer Lars Doucet, who is guardedly optimistic about the change:

"So take the average game -- post refunds, it will probably do about the same or possibly worse. But the polarizing game could have the people who don’t like it 'bounce off' by getting refunds rather than being stuck with a game they don’t like and having no recourse other than to trash its reviews. This could increase their overall review score, give them a healthier community, and a higher chance of connecting with their specific, niche, audience."

But one developer of just such a polarizing game, Gynophobia's Andrii Vintsevych, isn't so sure, after experiencing a flood of refunds: "At the moment, it a pretty scary time from me as a Steam-focused indie developer. Future looks very unclear."

There's a lot more to read on the Tumblr; for more on the topic at Gamasutra, you can read our in-depth feature on developer reactions, or these blogs: