Microsoft To Offer Refunds On Digital Xbox One And PC Games

Microsoft will offer refunds for digital game purchases through Xbox Live across Xbox One and PC, according to an image of an upcoming update posted on Reddit.

Information on the refund program was issued to those participating in the Xbox Insider Program, which allows members to test new features before they are made available to the wider Xbox community.

"You’ve spoken; we've listened," reads the message. "In support of offering gamers the freedom of choice, we're making changes to the Microsoft Store purchase experience by offering customers a simple way to instantly return digital products like games and apps through account.microsoft.com.

"When a game or app leaves you wanting more, we're here to help. Self-service refunds on Xbox One and Windows 10 provide a quick, simple way of returning a digital product."

Further details on the specifics of what content can be refunded and when were posted on NeoGAF. According to a second image, games are "eligible for self-service refunds within 14 days of purchase if you have less than 2 hours of play time across all accounts." However, "DLC, season passes, and add-ons are not eligible for self-service refunds."

Additionally, "the game or app must be downloaded and launched before requesting a self-service refund" and "you must wait for at least 1 day after the game or app's release before requesting a self-service refund."

Microsoft also states that "certain Windows 10 apps may not be eligible for self-service refunds" and it "reserves the right to block access for users who abuse self-service refunds."

This self-service approach to refunding digitally purchase content is uncommon on consoles. Neither Sony nor Nintendo currently offer a similar feature on their current consoles. On PC, however, Valve introduced a similar refund policy for Steam games in 2015, allowing users to return games and DLC within two weeks of purchase provided they haven't played the content for more than two hours.

Microsoft has steadily been introducing and tweaking Xbox Live features to make it a more robust gaming platform. In March it detailed Arena, which allows Xbox Live users to participate in tournaments together. Features such as Clubs and LFG have also been added to make it easier for communities to form around games and for people to find multiplayer groups.

The news comes as Microsoft gears up for the reveal of Project Scorpio, the next console in the Xbox One family. On April 6 it revealed the full hardware specs for Project Scorpio and has since shown off what a developer unit looks like.

Project Scorpio is due to launch this holiday season, but it remains to be seen when Microsoft will start to officially show it off in more detail. Xbox boss Phil Spencer has said he is unsure if Microsoft will show off Project Scorpio before E3 in June, while also stating recently that he thinks it's "critical" for first-party games to be ready for the system's launch.

For more on Project Scorpio, check out all our coverage of the latest information:

• An Xbox Handheld Was Designed In The Past, Says Phil Spencer
• Project Scorpio Specs Revealed, Capable Of Native 4K/60 FPS
• Xbox's Project Scorpio Full Tech Specs Explained In-Depth
• How Project Scorpio Makes Xbox One And 360 Games Better
• Xbox's Project Scorpio Is Designed To Win Back Developers, After Xbox One Lost Them