Thunder Tier One refund issues, dev is working on a solution

If you are having trouble getting a refund for your purchase of Thunder Tier One now that it is free to play, you are not alone. Thankfully, the development team behind the game is aware of the issue and is working on a fix. Thunder Tier One is a co-operative top-down tactical shooter that was originally released back in December of 2021 for $19.99, but as of two days ago, on May 12th, it has become free to play. Krafton, the team behind the game, did something unusual, offering refunds to anyone who’s ever bought the game.

Thunder Tier One offers refunds for everyone as it goes free-to-play, but encounters issues

Typically, anyone can receive a refund for a Steam game, as long as they choose to do so before playing two hours of the game and it’s within two weeks of the purchase date. Over the years, other games have also transitioned from a premium purchase to free-to-play. Not to call out two games specifically, but I remember Overwatch making the jump when it became Overwatch 2, and Fall Guys also making the transition. I don’t remember being offered refunds at any point, but that was never expected. That’s part of what makes this Thunder Tier One situation so unusual.

Thunder Tier One announced the change on Steam in April, following the “shutdown of Thunder Tier One multiplayer servers…” They explained that this shutdown was caused by multiple factors, including “…the game’s overall development direction, a declining player base, and the challenges of maintaining the servers.” So, while the game is becoming free-to-play, it has not received any updates since at least October 2023 and won’t get any new updates going forward. However, they shared that a “refund will be available regardless of purchase date or playtime, ensuring that all affected players have the opportunity to receive compensation.” The process for this transition began on May 12th, and it hasn’t gone perfectly.

Related:Thunder Tier One Free Weekend Coming Soon

Today, just a few days after going free-to-play, the team behind Thunder Tier One shared an update on Steam titled: “Thunder Tier One Refund Issue – Apology and Update.” This was posted early this morning, Pacific time, so it is an ongoing issue. Steam doesn’t typically allow for these kinds of refunds, so it does make sense that there might be a few bumps in the road. Hopefully, it will be sorted out quickly. In the new update, the team says, “…we’ve continued to receive reports that refunds are still not being processed correctly, and we take this situation very seriously… We are working closely with Steam to address the issue and will continue to follow up until it is fully resolved.”

Overall, Thunder Tier One has received Mixed reviews from Steam users since its release. At the time of writing, it has 65% positive reviews from over four thousand users. But at least some players enjoyed their time with the game and respect the developer's decision to offer refunds. A positive review from last week, which had over twenty hours on record, wrote, “Game is transitioning to F2P and the devs are giving full refunds! As a consumer that is amazing! But I feel I’ve got my money’s worth from the game so I will not be refunding. Mad respect to the dev!” If you are looking for a refund, keep an eye on the game’s Steam page. The developers will likely post an update soon.

Thunder Tier One

December 7, 2021

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• Overview

• tactical shooters
• Bluehole / Krafton
• refunds