> and give refunds so they get a free pass.

They only begrudgingly conceded refunds in 2015 after the no-refunds policy they had maintained for 12 years was found to be illegal in Australia.

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mikkupikku 3 hours ago | parent | next [-]

Whatever the reason for their policy, it provides a nice sense of safety to Linux gamers. They can buy the game without worrying about compatibility; if the game doesn't run then its two clicks for an automated refund.

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protimewaster 3 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Also, competing stores like EA's Origin had a pretty friendly refund policy before Valve did, helping to put some pressure on Valve.

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nananana9 3 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

They made the new refund policy worldwide, which they absolutely did not have to.

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jsheard 3 hours ago | parent [-]

Sure, but I imagine they saw the dominoes falling and realized that the optics of going down kicking and screaming in endless battles against basic consumer rights would be exceptionally bad. If they hadn't fully conceded then the EU would have been up their ass too before long.

	▲	aranelsurion 2 hours ago \| parent [-]
		> kicking and screaming in endless battles against basic consumer rights “Apple has entered the chat.” There are so many examples of other companies doing exactly that.