After months of waiting, we finally have a refund timeline for Shenmue III’s Epic Games Store debacle

That guy in the header will live forever

That header will never get old: someone may even use it in the review for Shenmue III, it’s that timeless.

In a way it also kind of symbolizes the Kickstarter process in general. Developers and publishers alike slip and slide along the rough path to shipping a game by way of crowdfunding, and we look at them in disbelief. Ys Net/Dep Silver’s decision to turn Shenmue III into an Epic Games Store exclusive on PC mere months before launch was a befuddling choice, and now the studio is dealing with the fallout.

After initially denying refunds entirely following their E3 bombshell news, the company is finally ready to put up. In “mid-September,” emails will go out which will allow folks to change their game version (from PC to PS4 most likely) or offer refunds for “backers who had selected the PC version and are not satisfied with the proposed reward options.” Allegedly it could take “up to 20 business days to three months” (when the game is out) for it to process, and you only have two weeks to do it when that switch is flipped.

They also provided a statement on in-game rewards: “The possibility is high that in-game rewards for backers who requested a refund may not be removed from the game. We ask for your understanding that production of in-game rewards has been well underway and that changing implemented content is difficult at this stage of development.” The trial edition is still slated for the second half of September, if you’re interested, and will last around one hour (with replayability baked in).

As always, Kickstarter circuses are only a fraction of the process: I want to see Shenmue III for myself. While most people will never forget how this campaign was handled, they could equally remember Shenmue III forever.

Shenmue III [Kickstarter]