Apparently, Sony’s PSN pre-order system could be undergoing a slight change in the future, if a statement by Sony is to be believed. The statement explains that now, if you cancel a pre-order for a game, the money will not be refunded to you but will instead become credit in your Playstation Network account.
If Sony is indeed adjusting how its PSN pre-order system works, this could be more convenient for people that have become disappointed by a game they’ve pre-ordered and instead want to buy a different game. However, this system will have things in place to prevent players from downloading a game they pre-ordered and then demanding a refund to get their money back.
In Sony’s own words, this system requires that the downloading has not been started before it is able to process a refund. If you’ve already downloaded your game and suddenly decide you don’t want to play it anymore, you’ll have to stick it out. Who knows? You may enjoy the game.
One way that this system could be useful would be, as an example, with Ubisoft Massive’s “The Division.” The game underwent an open beta a while before its launch, allowing players to go through a segment of the main plot before the game came out.
If you had pre-ordered The Division but did not enjoy the beta, you could cancel your pre-order and get the money in your PSN account.
More and more online game clients seem to be putting in a notable effort to offer refunds to players lately, such as Steam last year and now with Sony’s PSN pre-order system.
Both refund possibilities still have multiple restrictions, but they may be starting up a trend that Microsoft may eventually follow. This is especially true with some games around the end of 2014 that released in horrifically buggy states, such as Assassin’s Creed: Unity, The Evil Within, and others.
