Solo developer Zoroarts says his game Paddle Paddle Paddle has seen 55,000 refunds on Steam due to the platform's two-hour refund window. The title sold 270,000 copies in its first year but many players completed it quickly enough to qualify for refunds.
Zoroarts, whose real name is Mateo Covic, released the third-person boat-paddling adventure last year. The 23-year-old developer aimed for a playtime of about three and a half hours, yet speedrunners and others finished it in under two hours.
Steam allows refunds for games owned less than 14 days and played under two hours. Covic posted on X on July 5 that the policy should not apply in this way, noting a 21 percent refund rate despite 90 percent positive reviews.
Covic remains supportive of the overall refund system for broken or misleading games. He has suggested displaying expected playtimes on store pages to address short titles.
The game generated roughly 826,000 dollars in gross revenue, with about 158,000 dollars lost to refunds after fees and taxes.
