Some PlayStation gamers got an unusual refund email a few days ago for a return they didn’t initiate. If you snagged a copy of Stardew Valley when it was available in the PS+ Essential catalog for free, you might well have seen this message from Sony yourself. Rest assured that your PlayStation account hasn’t been hacked, and you should still have access to Stardew Valley on PlayStation. Here’s what seems to be going on.
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On November 20th, Sony sent out emails telling customers that their Stardew Valley refund was processed, to the tune of $0. Why would you get a refund message about a free game download? Well, it looks like Sony might be trying to correct a PS+ issue related to the cross-buy option between PlayStation consoles and the PS Vita.
Stardew Valley Probably Wasn’t Supposed to Support Cross-Buy
Back in September, PlayStation Plus Essential members were able to claim a copy of Stardew Valley for free. This monthly perk offers a few select games for PS+ subscribers to download as part of their membership. You don’t fully “own” the game, but can access it so long as you have a PS+ subscription as long as you download it while the game is live. But there’s a loophole that let many gamers get Stardew Valley on more than one PlayStation console back in September, and it looks like Sony is walking that back.
In the past, the PlayStation Store has supported a featured called cross-buy. This let gamers access certain game purchases on multiple platforms, such as for the PS4 and the handheld PS Vita. Although many gamers no longer bother with the aging PS Vita, those who did found they were able to play Stardew Valley on both their PS4/PS5 console and the PS Vita. But apparently, that wasn’t intentional on Sony’s part.
According to @Wario64, Sony’s bizarre Stardew Valley refund email is likely tied to the cross-buy feature. Though gamers are still able to access Stardew Valley, they no longer “own” the game. That means it is tied to having an active PS+ subscription and is, in theory, not available on the PS Vita through cross-buy. That said, PS Vita owners like Wario and others report they are still able to play the game if it is already downloaded on the console.
Given that PS+ Essential titles are always tied to an active subscription, this whole situation is a bit unusual. Many PlayStation gamers were confused by the initial email, and this does add a bit of clarity. If the game was accidentally considered purchased instead of obtained via PS+ originally, there was likely some backend process involved with correcting that ownership status. Thus, a refund email because it looks like Sony did technically revoke the ownership, even if you never should have had it in the first place.
As of now, it doesn’t look like Sony has made any public statements about what’s going on here. Aside from the generic refund email, players are left to speculate about what exactly is going on with Stardew Valley ownership on PlayStation. Some players are frustrated with yet another reminder that digital game ownership can be questionable compared to physical media.
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Image Courtesy of Marvel Comics
