Pokemon Scarlet and Violet players want one thing: refunds

Buyers of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are requesting refunds, after encountering numerous bugs and performance issues. Some of them, requesting their money digitally, are urging others to join them.

This development, first reported by The player, has been largely driven by disgruntled customers on social media. Reddit, a hub for Pokémon discussion, has been a particularly hot spot for complaints and refund requests, with several users posting their anecdotal stories of financial recovery on the forums.

“If you are really disappointed with the game, I would highly recommend doing this instead of complaining or trying to raise awareness about the game’s issues.” writes the user Sellouthipster. They posted their guide to successful refunds on Reddit, noting that while these situations are rare, it appears Nintendo is accepting complaints about game quality as proper cause for a refund. “I highly doubt there’s any kind of fix, especially before Christmas, and I don’t have any need to play a broken game.”

However, some have run into barriers, apparently dependent on their region. Australian user BecciCP claims they have been told to use their regional support service, forcing them to wait seven days for a response. others like it German user Memuench their requests have been denied, indicating that despite the success stories reported by certain users, it is not a sure thing.

All in all, it’s not a good look for the latest release in Game Freak’s monstrous franchise. While the community has voiced their frustrations before, it’s easier than ever to empathize with where they’re from. A level of quality is expected from this kind of pedigree, and only hardware limitations and development time can be blamed before legitimate questions have to be asked.

But tell us what you think about this whole situation. Do you get discouraged by mistakes or even ask for a refund? Let us know below, as well as your reasoning for doing so. If you’re looking for an opposite take, check out Alex Donaldson’s opinion piece here: Pokemon Scarlet & Violet’s performance is really awful, but if it’s really funny, how much does it matter?