{"rewrite":{"id":"r_f4543f961f3c02894effe616","clusterId":"c_c9c1c01774222db2b355511f","slug":"steam-joke-game-s-1-4-million-dollar-sales-collapse-to-2-000-after-refunds","model":"deepseek-v4-flash:free","headline":"Steam Joke Game's 1.4 Million Dollar Sales Collapse to 2,000 After Refunds","summary":"Stolen Valor Studios' joke game 'This Game Costs 200 Dollars' sold about 6,700 copies, earning roughly 1.4 million dollars, but 99.9 percent of purchases were refunded, leaving developer Michael Major with about 2,000 dollars. Nearly all buyers were in China, and Major suspects a promotion or scheme drove the surge.","whyItMatters":"The near-total refund rate shows Steam's refund policy can turn a viral sales spike into a false alarm, leaving a joke game's developer with almost nothing.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eDeveloper Michael Major priced \u0026#39;This Game Costs 200 Dollars\u0026#39; at the maximum Steam allows for a single game, 200 dollars, because he thought nobody would buy it. Instead, about 6,700 copies sold in a few months, mostly to Chinese users. But 6,707 of 6,717 purchases were refunded, and some were returned without ever being played.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMajor told New Hampshire outlet WMUR-TV that he kept only about 2,000 dollars. He speculates some kind of promotion or scheme in China triggered the purchases. Steam\u0026#39;s refund policy allows returns within 14 days if playtime is under two hours, and refunds are possible regardless of play status.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMajor says he will never discount the game, because doing so would ruin the joke. \u0026#39;This Game Costs 200 Dollars\u0026#39; is available on PC via Steam.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"A joke game priced at $200 sold ~6,700 copies, but 99.9% were refunded. The dev kept about $2,000. Most buyers were in China.","twitterPost":"Steam joke game 'This Game Costs 200 Dollars' sold ~6,700 copies, but 99.9% were refunded. Dev kept about $2,000. Most buyers were in China.","threadsPost":null,"newsletterBlurb":"A Steam joke game priced at $200 sold about 6,700 copies, but 99.9 percent were refunded, leaving the developer with roughly $2,000. Nearly all buyers were in China, and the developer suspects a promotion or scheme drove the surge.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Automaton\",\"url\":\"https://automaton-media.com/articles/newsjp/this-game-costs-200-dollars-20260805-458484/\",\"title\":\"Steam joke game priced at 30,000 yen suddenly sells '200 million yen' worth, but as expected '99.9% refunded' and it was a false alarm\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":4624,"outputTokens":603,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1786154289,"createdAt":"2026-08-08T01:50:37.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-08-08T01:51:44.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-08T01:50:37.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_c9c1c01774222db2b355511f","canonicalTitle":"Steamで定価3万円のジョークゲーム、なぜか急に「2億円分」も売れる。でも案の定“99.9％返金”でぬか喜び","representativeArticleId":"a_83e6071e71968ba09f9dad73","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[\"This Game Costs 200 Dollars\"],\"studios\":[\"Stolen Valor Studios\"],\"people\":[],\"type\":\"news\",\"domain\":\"games\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-08-05T02:49:25.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-08-05T02:49:25.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-08T01:51:45.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Automaton","url":"https://automaton-media.com/articles/newsjp/this-game-costs-200-dollars-20260805-458484/","title":"Steamで定価3万円のジョークゲーム、なぜか急に「2億円分」も売れる。でも案の定“99.9％返金”でぬか喜び"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":["This Game Costs 200 Dollars"],"studios":["Stolen Valor Studios"],"people":[],"type":"news","domain":"games","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":null}