Game over, man. Game over.
The $60 game featuring Hollywood actor Keanu Reeves playing a character through voice and motion capture, as well as a cameo from Tesla
TSLA,
CEO Elon Musk, was one of the most anticipated videogames in recent years, selling 8 million copies before it was released. It was originally scheduled to drop in April, but didn’t hit shelves until Dec. 10. Unfortunately, the repeated delays didn’t fix the bugs in the open-world sci-fi game, which suffered serious performance issues and glitches on both the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One, as well as bugs on other platforms.
CD Projekt Red, best known for “The Witcher” videogame series that has been adapted into a show on Netflix
NFLX,
saw its shares plunge as much as 20% earlier this week off the bad reviews of the game’s flawed performance.
“We should have paid more attention to making it play better on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One,” the Polish company wrote in a statement shared to Twitter
TWTR,
this week. “We would appreciate it if you would give us a chance, but if you are not pleased with the game on your console and don’t want to wait for updates, you can opt to refund your copy.”
Gamers have found scoring those refunds easier said than done, however. Vice reported on Wednesday that GameStop
GME,
had instructed sales associates not to provide direct refunds of “Cyberpunk 2077,” and to refer back to CD Projekt Red, instead.
Some frustrated customers also reported that the PlayStation store was initially refusing to grant refunds, but Sony Corp.
SNE,
reversed course on Thursday and announced that it was pulling “Cyberpunk 2077” from its PlayStation store, and offering gamers their money back. Microsoft
MSFT,
Best Buy
BBY,
and Amazon
AMZN,
have followed suit.
Read more:Sony pulls buggy ‘Cyberpunk 2077’ game from PlayStation store
Here’s how to request your “Cyberpunk 2077” refund from the developer and from several major retailers. Neither the game developer nor these companies below were immediately available for comment, so this story will continue to be updated as more information becomes available.
CD Projekt Red: The game developer urged customers to wait for the patches in January and February, which should improve the gaming experience. But it directs customers to request refunds directly from the places where they purchased the game — which is where things get dicey, since many retailers do not fully refund opened games that have been played already. CD Projekt Red says that if getting a refund from the original retailer doesn’t work, then to email them at helpmerefund@cdprojektred.com through December 21, and “we will do our best to help you.”
PlayStation: Sony will now offer full refunds to those who bought “Cyberpunk 2077” on the PlayStation Store. Sign in to redeem your refund here. What’s more, the game is being removed from the PlayStation Store until further notice. Once the site has confirmed that you purchased “Cyberpunk 2077” through the PlayStation Store, it will begin processing your refund. It notes that the length of time it takes to get your money back may vary based on your payment method and financial institution.
Xbox: Microsoft announced on Twitter on Friday that it is expanding its refund policy to offer full refunds to anyone who purchased the game digitally from the Microsoft store.
So those who bought and download a digital copy of “Cyberpunk 2077” can request refunds by clicking here. Sign into your account and select the order containing the game to begin the refund process. A Microsoft spokesperson told MarketWatch over email that, “To date, we have granted refunds to the vast majority of customers who have requested one. To ensure that every player is able to get the experience they expect on Xbox, we will be expanding our existing refund policy to offer full refunds to anyone who purchased Cyberpunk 2077 digitally from the Microsoft Store, until further notice.”
Steam: Steam asks customers to log in and fill out an online form to request a refund, which must be done within 14 days of buying the game — and only if you’ve played the game for less than two hours. Considering the company says that it will consider requests that fall outside of those parameters, however, it is possible that “Cyberpunk 2077” could be refunded due to its many glitches and Sony setting a precedent by giving customers their money back. Steam was not immediately available for comment about “Cyberpunk” refunds. Customers can email CD Projekt Red if they have issues getting a refund from Steam.
Amazon: The online retail giant will be accepting returns of opened “Cyberpunk 2077” games through Dec. 21, 2020. Contact customer service for assistance online or at (888) 280-4331. The return window for videogames is normally 30 days on Amazon, but hard copies of games that have been opened or played may incur up to a 100% restocking fee. Log into your Amazon account and visit its Returns Center here, where you will be directed to go through your recent orders to begin the refund process.
GameStop: These customers can also return a game within 30 days of purchase, and they will receive a full refund if the game is still in its original packaging. If you have already opened and played the game, however, then you have seven days to make your return online or in-store; it may be too late already for those who bought and opened the game on Dec. 10. Click here to get the return process started online; you’ll need to provide your order number and email address. And refer back to CD Projekt Red if you can’t get a refund.
Indeed, Vice has reported that GameStop advised its in-store employees not to provide direct refunds of open copies of “Cyberpunk 2077,” and to instead to refer customers back to CD Projekt Red. GameStop was not immediately available for comment, but Vice noted that this is standard retailer policy.
Best Buy: Normally, the box store’s return policy explains that opened physical copies of computer software and videogames can only be exchanged for an identical item. Best Buy was not immediately available for comment, but a social media specialist for the company posted on the company’s gaming support forum on Friday that “after some deliberation, and seeing that the vendor will be allowing returns through 12/21/2020, Best Buy will also be allowing returns for select opened Cyberpunk 2077 SKU’s” through the same date. Here are the returnable SKU’s: 255151 – Cyberpunk 2077 PS4
6255136 – Cyberpunk 2077 Xbox One
6352276 – Cyberpunk 2077 Collector’s Edition PS4
6352440 – Cyberpunk 2077 Collector’s Edition Xbox One
6414180 – Cyberpunk 2077 Xbox One Digital
The rep said that you can bring your game to your local Best Buy store or return it via mail. If you need assistance obtaining a return label, call (888) 237-8289. Or click here to start a return online.
