Microsoft Flight Simulator Steam Users Want a Refund Extension

Yesterday marked the official release of Microsoft Flight Simulator and I know for a fact that many of us here at eTeknix have been enjoying flying around (usually poorly) and attempting to have a look at our homes and various landmarks with the amazing visuals on offer. We would, however, be willing to concede that despite the many fun aspects it has, the game does have a number of problems. Most notably is the rather long load times (even when installed on an SSD) and the occasional glitches/CTD’s you will encounter. For example, I tried to take off yesterday and the game was insistent that my plane’s engine wasn’t running (despite the rotors clearly spinning).

Microsoft Flight Simulator – Refunds on Steam

So, let’s presume you bought it on Steam and want a refund. Well, due to the manner in which the game downloads/installs itself, it’s exceptionally unlikely that you would qualify under their usual terms. Specifically, due to the fact that the bulk of the game is downloaded directly from within which see’s your 2-hour Steam refund timer already counting down. In a report via TechPowerUp, users have already begun complaining about this with the key hope that Steam will, at least for this one game, relax this time threshold.

Are users right to complain though? Well, in all honesty, I would struggle to come up with a compelling argument to say that they were not.

What Do We Think?

With the majority of the games installation/download being made from within, it can often take users several hours before you’re finally able to start flying around. As such, if after all that you’re not actually enjoying the game, the chances of successfully (or, more specifically, automatically) qualifying for a refund under their ‘normal’ terms are slim. Given that this game costs a significant amount of money as well, it’s a pretty huge outlay if Microsoft Flight Simulator just isn’t for you!

I do, however, suspect that Steam will relax their 2-hour policy for this release. While it works for the majority of titles, this one is just a little bit too much of a curious creature to really follow the rule to the letter.

What do you think? – Let us know in the comments!