• Seasoned_Greetings@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      59
      ·
      edit-2
      6 months ago

      You’re likely right. If I recall correctly, the decision to do a refund is entirely steam’s and the publisher has no choice but to foot the bill because of steam’s tos. To add to that, refunds don’t include the 30% cut steam makes on the sale, so the publisher actually loses that money if they have to cover a refund.

      Say the game costs $50. Steam takes $15 of that and the other $35 goes to the publisher. If steam decides a refund is in order, the publisher must pay back all $50.

      So yeah, Sony was losing money for every copy that got refunded due to a reason steam found justified. Given the sheer publicity of this whole thing, someone up top probably realized that if they carried through with it it’d cost way more than the pennies they’d squeeze per player by force linking their accounts.

      People shit talk steam being a tyrannical monopoly all the time, but they are pretty consistent when it comes to treating their users fairly. This is a prime example of steam using its leverage to stop something really shitty.

      • Shou@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        23
        ·
        6 months ago

        I love steam. I’m okay with the monopoly until it stops protectecting its users.

        • TotallyHuman@lemmy.ca
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          4
          ·
          6 months ago

          Yeah. Part of me is uneasy with the monopoly, but unless they start abusing it I don’t think there’s really a problem. Besides, they’re not the same as a railway: nothing’s stopping a game company from directly providing executable downloads, and some do.

      • TachyonTele@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        9
        ·
        6 months ago

        I watched a few videos of some indie dev team as they released a game. It basically boiled down to wishlisting is a huge plus, and issuing refunds is the biggest thing you can do to hurt a company.

      • sep@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        7
        ·
        6 months ago

        So what you are saying is… refund the game. Then buy it again? ;)

    • Rentlar@lemmy.ca
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      36
      ·
      6 months ago

      Steam might not have considered refunds if it wasn’t for the tidal wave of negative feedback. So users’ collective action is worth something.

  • QuadratureSurfer@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    75
    ·
    6 months ago

    Just don’t forget to give the game a positive review now that Sony backpedalled. That way we can be ready for next time.

        • Kecessa@sh.itjust.works
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          4
          ·
          6 months ago

          Arrowhead are the ones who signed a contract with Sony in the first place, they deserve zero sympathy.

          • DaseinPickle@leminal.space
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            17
            ·
            6 months ago

            It seems a bit petty. It’s a small company with 100 employees trying to make a game, and a deal with Sony probably gave them the investment to do that. 7 years of development cost a lot of money.

            • Kecessa@sh.itjust.works
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              2
              ·
              6 months ago

              No matter the size of the company, if they adopt anti-consumers practices (directly or indirectly) why should they be rewarded for it? They signed the contract knowing that was part of it.

              • DaseinPickle@leminal.space
                link
                fedilink
                English
                arrow-up
                11
                ·
                6 months ago

                Nobody is rewarding them for signing a deal with Sony. People are rewarding them for making a really fun game for a reasonable very consumer friendly price point. I can’t think of a newly released game, that’s perfectly ethical. Even Larian signed a deal with Hasbro to make Baldurs Gate 3.

    • Captain Aggravated@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      7
      ·
      6 months ago

      No. Find ways to say “this is why I didn’t buy (unrelated Sony product). I didn’t go see (movie made by Sony pictures), I bought other brand’s consumer electronics instead of Sony, I’m not even entertaining the thought of buying (game somehow owned by Sony) because look at what they pulled with Helldivers 2. Sony’s brand is that of betrayal and I don’t want to be betrayed.”

      Actually do this, and say on product reviews that you are doing this, until the news gets bored of reporting “Another Sony executive found dead at his desk.”

      Then it might get better.

  • littleblue✨@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    29
    ·
    edit-2
    6 months ago

    Hmm. This specific meme makes me wonder if its creator doesn’t quite grasp the inherent satire of the source material…

    • Sonotsugipaa@lemmy.dbzer0.com
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      33
      ·
      6 months ago

      I’d say the choice of format is driven more by the similarity between ST and HD, and less about an accurate analogy with the source material

      • littleblue✨@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        6 months ago

        Fair, though this specific one hit a little closer to home considering its topic and the source material.

    • BruceTwarzen@kbin.social
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      16
      ·
      6 months ago

      That’s not really how memes work. Or do you comment that every time you see that steven crowder douche? Actually steven crowder doesn’t play mario kart on the wii, therefore he would never debate you.

      • lad@programming.dev
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        6 months ago

        Well, memes are a complex phenomenon, but anyway adding more depth by using contextually related material never hurts

      • littleblue✨@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        6 months ago

        When the only swimming pool around is also the kiddie pool, the adults invariably risk wading into floating turds like your gem, kiddo. Your internet high fives from other shit muppets aren’t the accolades you think they are. Stay in school.

      • entropicdrift@lemmy.sdf.org
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        22
        ·
        edit-2
        6 months ago

        Starship Troopers. Yes it’s worth watching. It’s both an excellent satire of a society dominated by its military (it’s portrayed as if it’s an in-universe propaganda film) and an extremely well crafted action film.

        It was directed by Paul Verhoeven, the same guy who directed RoboCop and Total Recall.

      • ours@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        16
        ·
        6 months ago

        If you play Helldivers, you have to watch Starship Troopers.

        HD takes its tone, premise, and many more things from that movie (and a bit from the book the movie satirizes).

      • lad@programming.dev
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        14
        ·
        6 months ago

        It’s Starship Troopers, one of the inspirations for Helldivers, afaik

        It was good when I last watched it, but that was quite a while ago, the movie is from 1997, after all

  • Miimikko@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    12
    ·
    edit-2
    6 months ago

    Haven’t been playing/following HD2 for a while now. What happened?

    Edit: nvm, a quick google answered this, ps account linking stuff.