Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney says the company will foot the bill for any future crowdfunded games that partner with Epic on an exclusivity deal and have backers ask for refunds as a result.
Sweeney tweeted about the policy after news broke that Shemnue 3 developer Ys Net plans to offer refunds to Steam-favoring Shenmue 3 Kickstarter backers, and that a similar rule is in place for future crowdfunded exclusives.
It’s a move that Sweeney says will keep the Kickstarter refunds from eating into Ys Net’s development funding, and one that acts as a show of support for devs that may be apprehensive about signing an Epic Games Store deal for their own crowdfunded titles after the backlash faced by Shenmue 3.
Specifically, Sweeney tweeted that Epic is funding the cost of any refunds requested due to Shenmue 3’s Epic Games Store exclusivity. On top of that, that the company will “either coordinate with colleagues at the other stores to ensure key availability in advance, or guarantee refunds at announcement time” for any future crowdfunded games that opt to come to the Epic Games Store before Steam after offering crowdfunding rewards for other PC stores.
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2019