Joke Game Priced at 200 Dollars Rakes In $1.3 Million on Steam Before Thousands of Players Refund It
An 18-year-old developer's joke Steam game, priced at the platform's maximum of $200, briefly appeared to earn over $1.3 million before nearly all buyers refunded it, leaving him with just over $2,000. Michael Major created "This Game Costs 200 Dollars" as a follow-up to a similar prank title, expecting few or no sales, but was stunned when thousands of purchases rolled in, mostly from China.
Steam's Works Sales report showed 6,717 units sold, with 6,705 originating in China and only a handful elsewhere, including four in the US. Most buyers refunded the game without playing it, exploiting Steam's policy allowing refunds within 14 days and under two hours of playtime, which Major suspects may relate to gaming Steam's reward-points system or even money laundering; after refunds, his actual earnings totalled around $2,045.
In short
- Teen's $200 joke game "sold" $1.3m, mostly refunded within Steam's return policy.
- Nearly all 6,717 buyers were from China; most refunded unplayed.
- Developer kept only about $2,045 and suspects points-farming or laundering.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
This pattern warrants concern about platform vulnerabilities. Thousands of purchases from a single region at Steam's maximum price point, followed by near-universal refunds, suggests potential exploitation of the refund system—whether for circumventing transaction monitoring, reward-points manipulation, or other illicit purposes. Steam should scrutinise bulk refund patterns and reconsider whether its pricing ceiling and two-hour refund window adequately protect against coordinated schemes that, even if this particular case proved benign, demonstrate real gaps in platform safeguards.
The case against
This was a harmless creative prank that demonstrates Steam's systems functioning precisely as intended. The refund policy worked exactly right: users purchased, recognised the joke, and obtained refunds without loss. The developer set the price consensually; no fraud occurred; and speculation about money laundering lacks evidence. Restricting pricing flexibility or scrutinising unusual transactions based on unproven theories would stifle legitimate experimentation and treat normal commerce as inherently suspicious, ultimately making the platform less welcoming to independent developers.
Explained simply
Steam is a digital shop where people buy and download computer games. Developers set prices for their games, and Steam lets eligible buyers request a refund within 14 days if they have played for less than two hours.
Michael Major is an 18-year-old developer who made This Game Costs 200 Dollars as a joke, following an earlier prank game. The title was deliberately priced at the highest amount Steam allowed, and Major expected few people to buy it.
The episode drew attention to how quickly sales figures can change when buyers seek refunds. Major has suggested possible motives for the purchases, but the reason remains unclear.
Entertainment Gaming Software Technology