We've known for a while that Shenmue 3 was receiving timed-exclusivity on the Epic Store, despite more than a handful of Kickstarter backers supporting the project on the promise that they'd be receiving Steam copies in return. Naturally, that announcement was met with a fair amount of criticism, which prompted the publishers to respond with what essentially amounted to a "we'll look into it".
Well, for better or worse, they have indeed looked into it and today announced a compromise that may or may not be agreeable. Basically, the stakeholders involved in Shenmue 3's launch have decided to allow for Kickstarter backers to apply for a refund if they had hoped to receive a Steam copy of the game upon release. Additionally, backers may opt to receive a voucher for the digital PS4 version, or a physical copy of - wait, nevermind - it's just a disc containing an installer for the Epic Store.
It should also be noted that those who choose an alternative version of Shenmue 3 will also receive their Steam Key once it launches on the platform. All things considered, that seems like a pretty good deal when you account for a very real, alternative scenario where backers are simply told to go f*** themselves.
