Shenmue III Refunds Can Take up to 3 Months to Process

Shenmue III Refunds will take as long as 3 months to process from the date that they're filed. A recent backer update to the game's official Kickstarter campaign has finally given us the firm details on how refunds are going to work for this game — and it seems that backers are going to have a bit of a wait.

If you're out of the loop, a number of fans were upset when they learned that Shenmue III would be exclusive to the Epic Games Store on PC. YS Net promised to look into the issue after E3 2019. Ultimately, the solution they landed on was that Epic Games would effectively pick up the bill on refunds to keep everyone happy. What wasn't detailed, however, was exactly how they would work. Details of the process have now had some more facts revealed.

Shenmue III Refunds Hinge on Payment Service and Transaction Status

The backer update notes that refunds are going to be processed for "backers who had selected a PC version and are not satisfied with the proposed reward options". These will be handled through the post-campaign survey that typically goes out in larger Kickstarter crowdfunding efforts. As always, the devil is in the details.

Here is the crux of the issue, straight from the horse's mouth:

Refund requests will be accepted only through the backer survey during the survey period. Processing details will be announced at the start of the survey period.

Refund processing timing may vary depending on payment service and transaction status. It may take up to 20 business days to 3 months from the time the refund request is made until the refund transaction is completed.

We promise to proceed with refund request processing promptly and reliably, however, due to the fact that the campaign is now 4 years on, along with the complexity of the transactions and payment service system arrangements, we ask for your understanding that processing times may vary depending on individual transaction circumstances.

The backer update also notes that in-game rewards are unlikely to be removed from the game. The developers ask that backers understand that they are well into production and that changing this content would be "difficult at this stage of development".

Irate fans upset about Epic Games Store exclusivity are finally going to get their refunds, but they'll have a bit of a wait when they file for them. Keep an eye out on your e-mail inbox for that backer survey and then you can start the clock.

What do you think of the time it will take to process Shenmue III refunds? Do you think YS Net is being reasonable? Let us know in the comments below!