Frustrated Pokémon Scarlet & Violet Players Are Reportedly Getting Refunds

The ninth-generation games Pokémon Scarlet and Violet have been out for a week now. They take the series in a bold new direction with open-world design but also suffer from serious performance issues and glitches.

It seems for some trainers, all of this (including Game Freak’s silence) has become too much, with many now requesting refunds. According to a story on VGC, players are having “mixed results” requesting Switch eShop refunds, but there are seemingly some success stories.

One thread that’s blown up on the Pokémon subreddit recommends other players get a refund while they can, as Nintendo apparently knows just how serious the issue is:

“I got a refund from the eshop last night of Violet after feeling the game is not in a state I feel acceptable for a AAA release. The rep actually told me that given the situation regarding the state of Pokemon S/V she would elevate my case to ensure the refund was approved…It was approved an hour later.

“The fact that the rep knew the issues I was talking about means it’s getting attention. This is one of the few things Nintendo/GF will be forced to notice.”

Separate player reports via social media platforms also recommend giving a refund “a go”. Some have even been advised to view “third-party review sites” to learn more about Nintendo titles in the future, and others don’t seem to be having quite as much luck.

Depending on your region, it seems like certain support teams are knocking back digital refund requests. Here’s part of one response Twitter user @Skeffi__ supposedly got from the Nintendo Contact Centre Europe Team:

“We’re sorry to hear you are experiencing difficulties with Pokemon Violet. We know that this won’t be the answer you were hoping for, but for a variety of reasons we are unable to provide refunds for Nintendo eShop content purchases. We tried to make sure this was clear before the transaction was made, both in agreement you accepeted as well as onscreen just prior to completing the transaction…read through the complete text of the agreement for all our current systems…”

Here on Nintendo Life, we enjoyed our time in the Paldea region but cited the “tech issues” as a setback. Digital Foundry also shared its own technical analysis video this week, noting how Scarlet and Violet were “technical failures” and well below the tech standards set by previous entries.

Then there have been all the glitches…both funny and horrifying:

Despite all of the technical problems, the new entries have already broken a number of records – becoming the highest-selling game on any Nintendo platform in the first three days and shifting over 10 million units worldwide. In Japan, the game’s also become the “biggest” ever launch for a game in the country.

The Pokémon Company and Nintendo haven’t provided a formal response to the performance problems players are encountering, but with any luck there’s at least a small patch or fix on the way to improve the situation. If we hear any developments, we’ll let you know.

How has your own time with Pokémon Scarlet and Violet been so far? Are the game’s tech issues causing any problems on your end, or are you having too much fun in the Paldea region to care? Leave a comment below.