Nintendo has started refunding some players

With more than 10 million sales recorded in just three days, the Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet games represent the biggest launch of the series, but also of a game exclusive to Nintendo Switch. If the commercial success is there, the reputation of the two titles is unfortunately tainted by the quantity of bugs which are the subject of hilarious compilations on YouTube and on social networks. It must be said that some of them strongly question the famous “Nintendo Seal of Quality” which was clearly not respected. If the press was rather lenient with the title (the game is doing with an average of 76% on Metacritic, which is correct without more), the players have on the contrary expressed their dissatisfaction with a user rating of 2.9 /10. A massive review-bombing which also aims to alert developers and publishers like Nintendo and The Pokémon Company to react accordingly. Despite a patch day one, players are asking for fixes to avoid this kind of pitfalls. Other people have gone further, since many users have initiated a refund procedure with Nintendo.

On Redditthe topic “Don’t be ashamed to ask for a refund” is starting to gain momentum and many users have reported that they have received a positive response from Nintendo, who are well aware of the problem and can only go along with the disgruntled players. A situation that recalls what happened exactly two years ago with the game Cyberpunk 2077, also completely dented when it was released on the PS4 and Xbox One consoles.

“I received a refund from the eshop last night for Pokemon Purple after I let them know the game was not in acceptable condition for a AAA version”wrote a Reddit user, before another explained in turn how he managed to recover his money: “Nintendo rep told me that given the state Pokemon Scarlet & Violet is in, they were going to advocate my case to make sure the refund would be approved. An hour later I was refunded .” Another person warns the community that Nintendo does issue refunds: “Nintendo refunded my digital copy of Pokémon Violet, the game is just too broken. I’ll take it back when it’s fixed. If you want a refund, take a chance, you should get one.”

It is therefore a great first in the history of Nintendo, faced with a problem of this magnitude and these shared messages are likely to increase the number of people wishing to be reimbursed. As Fabien Pellegrini said so well in the Pokémon Violet & Scarlet test on Jeuxactu: “It is therefore high time for Nintendo and The Pokémon Company to let the GameFreak teams breathe, and give them time to polish each new episode as it should be. At least out of respect for the players…” CQFD.