Updated
Updated · IGN · Aug 4
Teen's $200 Steam Joke Game Keeps $2,045 After $1.35 Million Sales Vanish in Refunds
Updated
Updated · IGN · Aug 4

Teen's $200 Steam Joke Game Keeps $2,045 After $1.35 Million Sales Vanish in Refunds

3 articles · Updated · IGN · Aug 4

Summary

  • $1,345,650 briefly appeared in 18-year-old Michael Major's Steam sales report after 6,717 copies of his prank title sold, but mass refunds cut the haul to $2,045.
  • 6,705 purchases came from China, and most buyers returned the game without playing it; Steam allows refunds within 14 days and under two hours of playtime.
  • Major said he priced This Game Costs 200 Dollars at Steam's $200 maximum as a joke sequel to his earlier $10 game, expecting almost no one to buy it.
  • He speculated buyers may have been farming Steam Points through instant refunds or, less certainly, using expensive game purchases to launder money.

Insights

How did a $200 joke game expose a potential million-dollar money laundering loophole on a major gaming platform?
Could consumer-friendly refund policies on digital storefronts be secretly fueling international cyber-schemes?