Anthem PS4 Players Receiving Full Refunds Due to Technical Issues....Sorta - MMORPG.com

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Anthem PS4 Players Receiving Full Refunds Due to Technical Issues....Sorta - MMORPG.com

It appears that PlayStation 4 players are experiencing a number of technical issues with Anthem with players flocking to the Anthem Reddit to voice their concerns. Issues include rampant crashes and system shut downs that can damage the console. As a result, it appears that Sony is aware of the issues its customers are facing and is offering full refunds with a "no questions asked" policy, though this seems to be situational.

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KroxMalon

I can't keep defending this game.

If things like this are happening, then it's very sad and extremely disappointing how EA/Bioware have ballsed up such a potentially great game in such a detrimental way. You don't get a second chance to make a first impression, you really don't.

I am currently enjoying it without critical issues, some UX issues maybe but nothing like this.

acidblood

Bethesda: We're going to release a game so bad it'll be given away with $5 USB sticks.
EA/Bioware: Hold my beer...

hyllyh

the number of released lately with issue / cheat problems/ bugs etc is incredible...
do all company want to only go for mobile game and make shit on the side?
fully disapointed here too... FO74, anthem,ashes of creation BR, the pirate mod of Ark etc...
even games i like to play become weir: eve online with the lootbox like things event, gw2 ...

my only light is and remain warframe which improve everytime and is still f2p

WoeToTheVanquished

I had a similar interaction with Sony regarding No Man's Sky. They only let you get a refund ONCE -- over any sort of transaction -- throughout the existence of your Playstation account. The developer could release a completely faulty/misleading game, and Sony supposedly has every right to deny you a refund as long as you met their limit of 1 refund.

Scot

Remember the game was not released to pep up EA fiscally after a somewhat poor quarter, it was so ready to launch.

Aeander

I haven't experienced much in the way of issues, but the possibility of system damage is frightening.

Being that my copy is physical, I couldn't refund if I wanted to.

kitarad

System damage damn that is alarming.

Wizardry

Well there is one simple solution.
Ask to talk to someone high up and tell Sony that if there policy is just ONCE,tell them that you are using the same policy,they only get ONE chance and since they blew it you'll never support them again.

Gaming laws are just so dam crap,a lot needs to change because what happens in gaming does not happen everywhere else.
Imagine you bought a car and the wheels fell off,they say ok no problem ,we will fix all the damage "our cost".Two months later the breaks fail,TOO BAD,you already made one claim,we don't care anymore!!Not only would they be blackballed by every media outlet on the planet,the government would step in and FORCE them to recall.However just like gaming,it often takes the government to step in because they will simply ignore problems until they are forced.

This is the sad sack way business is done,take the money and run.There is no standing behind the product,there is lot's of,gtfo we don't care though.
SIMPLE...DO NOT give them another dime ..EVER.

Aeander

I think I'll take a few days or so off the game until they hotfix the issue causing system damage. I'm having fun, but that isn't worth losing my console over.

foxgirl

Worst. Launch. Ever.

Aeander

foxgirl said:

Worst. Launch. Ever.

Maybe. But in regards to notoriety, nothing will ever top Diablo 3's Error 37 topping the social media trends.

3dom

Nonetheless I'm planning to buy it in summer - if they'll implement their 3-monhs plan (couple dungeons and some loot variety) along with fixes + won't announce Anthem "2" and/or service and studio shutdown.

World/setting and core gameplay are way too good to give up.

parpin

anthem also runs poorly on pc because few streamers i watched (3) on twitch had to put the graphic settings on lowest setting in order to stream it, and they all had better pc than me, that is why i did not buy it, one guy had RTX 2080 with high end cpu, basically very strong pc but he also had to put everything on lowest, may if you are not streaming it gets better but despite that, it shows how taxing the game is even on mega rigs.

FelixMajor

I've been playing on PS4 and only issue I've come across is random disconnect from server every now and then. I hope that is all I experience!

Panther2103

Whew, system shutdowns? Never seen a crash that bad on PS4, usually games just freezes and error to the homepage when they crash. That's nuts.

Gobstopper3D

I have heard rumors of a troubled development. IF this is true then that would make for the second game in a row that had a troubled development. My faith in Bioware is in the tank right now. Not sure if I even want to see DA4 by them at this point.

TheDarkrayne

Aeander said:

foxgirl said:

Worst. Launch. Ever.

Maybe. But in regards to notoriety, nothing will ever top Diablo 3's Error 37 topping the social media trends.

Yes, Diablo 3 was way worse. I couldn't even play the game for 2 weeks. I mean, I couldn't even get to the character creation screen.. for 2 weeks.

Aeander

Gobstopper3D said:

I have heard rumors of a troubled development. IF this is true then that would make for the second game in a row that had a troubled development. My faith in Bioware is in the tank right now. Not sure if I even want to see DA4 by them at this point.

My anticipation for DA4 is basically nil. I thought that Dragon Age Inquisition was a terrible game, plagued by MMO style questing, lack of choice, and a generally unsatisfying story. For a story/choice driven RPG, I felt that it fundamentally failed at every critical aspect of its genre. Worse than Mass Effect Andromeda even. 

I think that Mass Effect 3 was the last great story driven Bioware game, and even that was plagued with Jersey Shorification and troubled story development.

KroxMalon

hyllyh said:

my only light is and remain warframe which improve everytime and is still f2p

You said it, dude!

Gobstopper3D

Aeander said:

Gobstopper3D said:

I have heard rumors of a troubled development. IF this is true then that would make for the second game in a row that had a troubled development. My faith in Bioware is in the tank right now. Not sure if I even want to see DA4 by them at this point.

My anticipation for DA4 is basically nil. I thought that Dragon Age Inquisition was a terrible game, plagued by MMO style questing, lack of choice, and a generally unsatisfying story. For a story/choice driven RPG, I felt that it fundamentally failed at every critical aspect of its genre. Worse than Mass Effect Andromeda even. 

I think that Mass Effect 3 was the last great story driven Bioware game, and even that was plagued with Jersey Shorification and troubled story development.

I agree. Compared to the previous DA games, DAI was a down grade when it came to story, characters, and dialog. At least for me it was.

gervaise1

This was about Gears of War in 2017; I assume Anthem will have undergone the same 5 day certification process ...... note the: designed to protect consumers from issues that could brick their PS4s.

Here is what was said:

PLAYSTATION 4: We have two separate PlayStation builds – one for SCEA (Sony America), and one for SIEE (Sony Europe). Each is essentially a unique company so all the submissions, certifications, ratings, pricing, and patching are all managed through different channels depending on which PlayStation we’re talking about.
The initial certification process for the game takes 5 days. There is also about a 5-day waiting period for the Sony Store to set up your game. Once that’s all done, you can release your game to the PS Store. You have go through this process for both Sonys (and a third one if/when you launch in Japan).
After you are certified, your next update is a Day 1 patch. This also takes about 5 days to approve. If it passes, you can then use the Rapid Patching system which allows us to update the game within a few hours, provided we don’t do anything that would require a new certification pass.
For The Long Dark, the PS4 SCEA version is far enough along that we are able to use the Rapid Patching system to get updates to you, which is why our PS4 SCEA version is able to be as up to date as Steam.
Unfortunately, our PS4 Europe version is still getting through the Day 1 patch part of the process. Last night we received word that our Day 1 for PS4 Europe has been rejected due to a well-known crash that will be fixed as soon as we can Rapid Patch. Unfortunately, the way the process is set up, we may have to re-submit a new Day 1 patch that does not have the crash in it, before we can unlock Rapid Patching. We are waiting to hear back from Sony Europe on this, and should know by tomorrow. This has delayed our updating of the PS4 Europe version. We’re working with Sony Europe to get the Day 1 patch out ASAP so that we can rapid patch it to the most recent version of the game.
I should be clear that we are not blaming Sony for this – they have a strict process that we have to work through, and it’s designed to protect consumers from issues that could brick their PS4s. But the process takes a while and until Rapid Patching is unlocked, we have to go through these steps. So, we beg for your patience as we navigate this with Sony and work through it as best we can.
Our focus right now is to get through the PS4 Europe Day 1 patch so that we can unlock Rapid Patching, at which point we will be able to ensure both PS4 versions are as up to date as the Steam build.



Which begs the question: What has slipped through both EA's testing and Sony's certification process? That doesn't (seem to) apply to XBox consoles?

Kajidourden

gervaise1 said:

This was about Gears of War in 2017; I assume Anthem will have undergone the same 5 day certification process ...... note the: designed to protect consumers from issues that could brick their PS4s.

Here is what was said:

PLAYSTATION 4: We have two separate PlayStation builds – one for SCEA (Sony America), and one for SIEE (Sony Europe). Each is essentially a unique company so all the submissions, certifications, ratings, pricing, and patching are all managed through different channels depending on which PlayStation we’re talking about.
The initial certification process for the game takes 5 days. There is also about a 5-day waiting period for the Sony Store to set up your game. Once that’s all done, you can release your game to the PS Store. You have go through this process for both Sonys (and a third one if/when you launch in Japan).
After you are certified, your next update is a Day 1 patch. This also takes about 5 days to approve. If it passes, you can then use the Rapid Patching system which allows us to update the game within a few hours, provided we don’t do anything that would require a new certification pass.
For The Long Dark, the PS4 SCEA version is far enough along that we are able to use the Rapid Patching system to get updates to you, which is why our PS4 SCEA version is able to be as up to date as Steam.
Unfortunately, our PS4 Europe version is still getting through the Day 1 patch part of the process. Last night we received word that our Day 1 for PS4 Europe has been rejected due to a well-known crash that will be fixed as soon as we can Rapid Patch. Unfortunately, the way the process is set up, we may have to re-submit a new Day 1 patch that does not have the crash in it, before we can unlock Rapid Patching. We are waiting to hear back from Sony Europe on this, and should know by tomorrow. This has delayed our updating of the PS4 Europe version. We’re working with Sony Europe to get the Day 1 patch out ASAP so that we can rapid patch it to the most recent version of the game.
I should be clear that we are not blaming Sony for this – they have a strict process that we have to work through, and it’s designed to protect consumers from issues that could brick their PS4s. But the process takes a while and until Rapid Patching is unlocked, we have to go through these steps. So, we beg for your patience as we navigate this with Sony and work through it as best we can.
Our focus right now is to get through the PS4 Europe Day 1 patch so that we can unlock Rapid Patching, at which point we will be able to ensure both PS4 versions are as up to date as the Steam build.



Which begs the question: What has slipped through both EA's testing and Sony's certification process? That doesn't (seem to) apply to XBox consoles?

Was just about to post something much simpler but in the same vein.  This isn't just Bioware missing an issue, Sony's team also missed it.  It's interesting to think that two separate entities, both of whom had a vested interest in making sure something like this didn't happen somehow didn't catch it.  This particular issue sounds like some bad luck rather than willful negligence.  Can't say that about other issues the game has, but man talk about terrible timing.

NorseGod

lol

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=31&v=nrvY3lzJQPA

Octagon7711

WoeToTheVanquished said:

I had a similar interaction with Sony regarding No Man's Sky. They only let you get a refund ONCE -- over any sort of transaction -- throughout the existence of your Playstation account. The developer could release a completely faulty/misleading game, and Sony supposedly has every right to deny you a refund as long as you met their limit of 1 refund.

That sounds like a violation of consumer laws. Imagine stores only giving one refund to each customer for the lifetime of their account. Sometimes good credit card companies will refund, if it doesn't happen a lot on your account with them.

NorseGod

parrotpholk said:

Arterius said:

Agree as they can post anything and would like to see an email or chat log to back up the refund claim.  Have no doubt it is crashing though as on my PC it was doing this during the second demo where my whole system would reboot and this was specific to Anthem.  But actually bricking the system I have my doubts

Let's assume that you had access to all the evidence, the physical PS4 in hand, the tech, customer support logs, bank statements, and everything else to satisfy your inquiry. You reach the conclusion that this is happening.

What would your opinion be at that point?